Charles William Eliot was born on March 20, 1834, in Boston, Massachusetts.

He was an American educator, administrative reformer, philanthropist, and president of Harvard University for 40 years. He graduated from Harvard University in 1853 and was appointed assistant professor of mathematics and chemistry in 1858. In 1865, Eliot accepted an appointment as Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the newly founded Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1867, during his trip to Europe, he studied the European educational systems - from curriculum and methods of instruction through physical arrangements and custodial services. In 1869, he published his observations in a two-part article, "The New Education", in The Atlantic Monthly. The article brought his name to the attention of the directors of Harvard, who were looking for a new president. Eliot was inaugurated in October 1869 and by the time he retired in 1909, he elevated Harvard into a world-renowned research university with laboratories, libraries, classrooms, and athletic facilities replacing simple colonial structures. He attracted the support of major donors from among the nation's growing plutocracy, making it the wealthiest private university in the world. During his tenure, Eliot opposed football, baseball, basketball, and hockey and tried unsuccessfully to abolish them at Harvard. He was quoted as saying that rowing and tennis were the only clean sports. He was also an editor of the 50-volume Harvard Classics (1909–1910).

In 1858, he married Ellen Derby Peabody (1836–1860) and in 1877, he remarried Grace Mellen Hopkinson (1846–1924). He died on August 22, 1926, in Northeast Harbor, Maine.