A. Lawrence Lowell

Abbott Lawrence Lowell (1856–1943) was an American political scientist and educator, president of Harvard University from 1909 to 1933. A member of the prominent Boston family that included the astronomer Percival Lowell and the poet Amy Lowell, he practiced law before teaching government at Harvard. His books The Government of England and Public Opinion and Popular Government were important studies of how democratic institutions work in practice. As president he introduced the house system and concentration requirements, but he is also remembered for imposing quotas on Jewish students and for his role in the Sacco and Vanzetti case.