Archives West Finding Aid

Elbert Neal Condit was born in Stillwater, New Jersey on May 2, 1846. He studied theology at Princeton University, and in 1877 the Home Missionary Board of the Presbyterian Church sent him to the Pacific Northwest. Condit worked at churches in Walla Walla, Washington; Astoria, Oregon; Pleasant Grove, Oregon; and Turner, Oregon. In 1879 Condit was hired as the President of Albany, College. Condit worked in this capacity from 1879-1885, and from 1887-1894. During his first year at Albany, Condit and his brother I.H. Condit taught all of the college courses, while his sisters, Sarah and Elizabeth Condit taught all of the Intermediate and Primary couses. In 1882 Condit upgraded the curriculum by expanding Latin and science requirements. Condit also led a fundraising campaign in which William S. Ladd and Henry Corbett were leading contributors. Despite these gifts, the College was in dire financial straits and Condit resigned in 1885. During the next two years the College tested the abilities of three different presidents: Joseph C. Wyckoff, Earl T. Lockhard, and Edwin J. Thompson. After each failed to improve the financial and academic situation of the College, the citizens of Albany petitioned the Board of Trustees to re-hire Condit. During the next seven years Condit expanded enrollment, hired new faculty, and improved the curriculum. In 1894 Condit left Albany to become the President of Occidental College. In 1896 Condit left Occidental to return to Walla Walla, where he died on June 6, 1900.