Richard Waldron IV
Encyclopedia
Richard Waldron IV's 1735 handwritten transcript of Harvard College
laws or regulations is considered the earliest extant example of the use of the slang word "John
" to describe a washroom or bathroom or privy.
family, was born December 20, 1719 and baptized in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
, on January 10, 1719/20. His parents were Richard Waldron (Secretary)
and Elizabeth Westbrook, daughter of Colonel Thomas Westbrook. The oldest of eight children, he was fourth in a direct line of Richard Waldrons stemming from his great grandfather, Major Richard Waldron
.
families were often sent to Harvard College
at about age 14. Richard Waldron IV's own father had graduated in 1712 after entering at about the same age. One of a new student's first tasks was to hand-write a copy of the College laws or regulations and have these signed by the college president or one of the fellows. Richard made his copy on June 24, 1735, "in his own immature hand and erratic orthography
". One of these laws read: "20. No freshman
shall ... go into the fellows' cuzjohn." This has been described by an Oxford dictionaries contributor and author as the "first recorded use of john for a privy."
He was "lost at sea" in 1745. "My eldest Son left me abt 2 yrs agoe, to seek his fortune abroad, nothing at home offering to his mind, and him I have not heard of since, but under such circumstances as give reason to believe, yt ye vessel in which he went, with ye whole Company perish'd in ye Deep. This is a gloomy Dispensation..." Richard IV was one of six children of Secretary Richard and Elizabeth Westbrook Waldron to pass away early. He was unmarried and left no children.
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
laws or regulations is considered the earliest extant example of the use of the slang word "John
John
John is a common English name and surname:* John * John John may also refer to:-Religious figures:* John Hyrcanus, ruler of Judea 134–104 BC...
" to describe a washroom or bathroom or privy.
Birth and parentage
Richard Waldron IV, a member of a prominent colonial New HampshireNew Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
family, was born December 20, 1719 and baptized in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
, on January 10, 1719/20. His parents were Richard Waldron (Secretary)
Richard Waldron (Secretary)
Richard Waldron was a major opponent of the Wentworth oligarchy in colonial New Hampshire. He supported a continued political subordination of New Hampshire to Massachusetts and opposed moves to separation from this traditional senior partner...
and Elizabeth Westbrook, daughter of Colonel Thomas Westbrook. The oldest of eight children, he was fourth in a direct line of Richard Waldrons stemming from his great grandfather, Major Richard Waldron
Richard Waldron
Major Richard Waldron dominated the society and economy of early colonial Dover, New Hampshire and had a substantial presence in greater New Hampshire and in neighbouring Massachusetts...
.
Impact of a young Harvard College student's assignment
Young men of well-to-do colonial New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
families were often sent to Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
at about age 14. Richard Waldron IV's own father had graduated in 1712 after entering at about the same age. One of a new student's first tasks was to hand-write a copy of the College laws or regulations and have these signed by the college president or one of the fellows. Richard made his copy on June 24, 1735, "in his own immature hand and erratic orthography
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
". One of these laws read: "20. No freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
shall ... go into the fellows' cuzjohn." This has been described by an Oxford dictionaries contributor and author as the "first recorded use of john for a privy."
Graduation and decease
Richard Waldron IV graduated in 1738.He was "lost at sea" in 1745. "My eldest Son left me abt 2 yrs agoe, to seek his fortune abroad, nothing at home offering to his mind, and him I have not heard of since, but under such circumstances as give reason to believe, yt ye vessel in which he went, with ye whole Company perish'd in ye Deep. This is a gloomy Dispensation..." Richard IV was one of six children of Secretary Richard and Elizabeth Westbrook Waldron to pass away early. He was unmarried and left no children.