James B. Conant was President of Harvard University during Jack’s years on campus in Cambridge.
Conant was possessed of a keen intelligence and forward-looking views. Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts he attended Harvard University throughout his studies leading to a PhD in Chemistry. He served in the United States Army during the World War I and worked on the development and use of chemical weapons.
After the war, he returned to Harvard as an assistant professor of chemistry, where he switched his focus from inorganic chemistry to organic chemistry. His research areas included chlorophyll and the oxyhemoglovin processess.
He was appointed the President of Harvard University in 1933 and served until 1955. He modernized the University by abolishing mandatory Latin. He also diversified the student body, admitting many working and middle-class boys from Boston and admitting women to the Law and Medical Schools.