Strict Discipline

Jonathan had little patience for students who did not abide by the rules. At Wheaton, Jonathan’s word was law. Some students chafed at this autocratic treatment. The students were especially displeased when the President forcibly separated the literary society. Jonathan Blanchard wanted to ensure that all interaction between men and women at Wheaton was unquestionably proper. The students petitioned the faculty to override the president’s decision. The petition was rejected, and the women formed their own club.

Jonathan Blanchard also made sure that the situation at Knox would not repeat itself at Wheaton. He populated the faculty and board of trustees with his friends and family, regardless of qualification. He appointed his brother-in-law as a professor of Mathematics. Jonathan dismissed him from that post in 1870 due to incompetence.