| William De Witt Hyde | |
| Order: | 7th |
| President of Bowdoin College | |
| Term Start: | 1885 |
| Term End: | 1917 |
| Predecessor: | Joshua Chamberlain |
| Successor: | Kenneth C.M. Sills |
| Birth Date: | 23 September 1858 |
| Birth Place: | Winchendon, Massachusetts |
| Death Place: | Brunswick, Maine |
| Signature: | Signature of William De Witt Hyde (1858–1917).png |
William De Witt Hyde (September 23, 1858 – June 29, 1917)[1] [2] was an American educator and academic administrator who served as the president of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, for thirty-two years, from 1885 to his death in 1917.
Born in Winchendon, Massachusetts, Hyde graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1874,[3] from Harvard University in 1879, and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1882. Ordained to the Congregational ministry in 1883, he was a pastor in Paterson, New Jersey, from then until 1885.[4] Thereafter, he became president of Bowdoin College, also holding the position of chair of mental and moral philosophy at the College.
In 1906, he penned the poem "The Offer of the College," which was given to every student at Bowdoin until 1969.[5] It was subsequently edited to reflect the changing demographics of the student body.