Wentworth Institute of Technology

In 1903, Boston businessman Arioch Wentworth donated the majority of his estate, estimated at $7 million, for the purpose of founding an industrial school within Boston. A board of seven directors incorporated Wentworth Institute on April 5, 1904, as a school "to furnish education in the mechanical arts". The directors spent several years investigating the educational needs of the community, increased the endowment, and reached a settlement with Wentworth's daughter, who had contested his will. Frederick Atherton was Trustee Secretary.The campus was established in Boston's Back Bay Fens, and Arthur L. Williston was the first principal of the college.