Henry Fowle Durant

Henry Fowle Durant (born Henry Welles Smith; February 20, 1822 – October 3, 1881) was an American lawyer and philanthropist, as well as the co-founder, with his wife, Pauline Durant, of Wellesley Female Seminary, which became Wellesley College.

Durant was born in Hanover, New Hampshire,[1] as Henry Welles Smith on February 20, 1822.

He changed his name to Henry Fowle Durant on November 25, 1851, to avoid confusion with a local businessman.

[4] After the death of his son, Harry, Durant underwent a religious conversion and became a lay preacher in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, practicing from 1864 to 1875.

[2] Henry Durant died from Bright's Disease at his home in Wellesley, Massachusetts on October 3, 1881, at the age of 59.