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William W. Farnam

Treasurer, Yale University

Centurion, 1894–1929

Full Name William Whitman Farnam

Born 6 April 1844 in New Haven, Connecticut

Died 28 June 1929 in New Haven, Connecticut

Buried Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven, Connecticut

Proposed by Othniel C. Marsh and J. Cleveland Cady

Elected 3 March 1894 at age forty-nine

Archivist’s Note: Brother of Charles H. Farnam and Henry W. Farnam

Century Memorial

William Whitman Farnam was a man who did his work well and said as little about it as possible. Treasurer of Yale during practically the whole of President Dwight’s administration, he had a more important part than any other man in placing the institution on its feet at a most critical juncture of its history; but few, even among his associates, appreciated the significance of the work he was doing. He combined public spirit with self-effacement to an extraordinary degree, and the combination lent singular charm to his personality. Professor Farnam worked during many years with the Free Trade League. He was an earnest believer in the importance, not only on economic grounds and for the sake of getting the most out of the resources of the world, but for the purpose of bringing about civilized relations between the nations, of lessening and of finally abolishing tariff barriers. He held that protection represented a form of war, and that a civilized world was to be governed not by warfare, but by law.

Alexander Dana Noyes
1930 Century Association Yearbook