A calling to do good

The phrase “to do the greatest good” is taken directly from handwritten notes in Ezra Cornell’s cyphering book. These words guided Ezra’s defense of the Cornell University bill as it faced fierce opposition in the New York State Legislature in 1865. They conveyed his desire to do the greatest possible good for the state of New York and for all of humanity.

Today, these words represent our collective calling to make Cornell and the world better for future generations.

Origin story: Part I

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Origin story: A legacy of doing good

letters sitting on a desk at candle light with an antique pen
In 1865, Ezra Cornell expressed his immense desire “to do the greatest good” in notes he prepared for addressing the New York State Legislature. His remarks were meant to convince the legislature to grant the charter for Cornell University.
letter with antique pen
Although the phrase appeared in his notes in 1865, the idea had been evolving over many years prior.
gears of a telegraph receiver in low light
In 1843, Ezra Cornell was hired by Samuel Morse, the inventor of the telegraph. Later that year, he began laying telegraph lines in Washington, D.C. Ezra Cornell would eventually promote and invest in the technology, believing it would revolutionize communications and change the world.
top of a telegraph receiver in low light
After amassing a great fortune in the telegraph industry as one of the co-founders of Western Union, Ezra Cornell wrote a letter to his colleague, Jeptha Homer Wade, in 1852. He expressed his desire to do some good deed that would alleviate “the sufferings of humanity.”
telegraph receiver in low light
Ezra Cornell’s great fortune from the telegraph industry ultimately inspired his “ruling desire” to do the greatest possible good. Believing in education, he dedicated a large portion of his wealth to the founding of a university “where any person can find instruction in any study.”
antique pen near aged paper on a desk
That founding vision of “any person… any study” reflects Ezra Cornell’s deeply held conviction that education can transform lives.
Antique stamp and paper on a desk
This principle meant that a Cornell education was truly open to “any person,” regardless of their place of birth, religion, gender, or race.
a desk with antique papers lighted by candlelight
Ezra Cornell understood that educating one student reaches a generation of others and that it, therefore, has the potential to change the world. This is the good that Ezra Cornell believed he could do—for his time, and for all time.

 

Origin story: Part II

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A call to do the greatest possible good

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Cornellians have expanded interstellar knowledge for decades. Photo: AAD