Our History

Edgar (b. 1827, d. 1901) and Edwin (b. 1827, d. 1875) Haas were the sons of a wealthy merchant from Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania. The twin brothers both spent time as teachers — Edgar in the Jones Public School in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania; and Edwin in the public schools of Burlington, New Jersey. Many of their former pupils followed them to Hightstown when they were named the first co-principals of the “The Classical and Scientific Institute” in Hightstown, New Jersey, later to be known as The Peddie School. According to the Peddie Chronicle from 1916, “Though twins, and very similar in appearance, Edgar and Edwin were of very different personalities. One was harsh and severe in his methods, the other gentle and persuasive. Between them, they were able to cope with all kinds of boy and girl nature.”

Hiram Alden Pratt (b. 1826, d. 1899) graduated from Amherst College in 1848, and came to the principalship of the New Jersey Classical and Scientific Institute in 1869, after a period in which the school operated without a principal after the departure of the Haas twins in 1868. According to the 1916 Peddie Chronicle, Pratt came to Hightstown “at the earnest solicitation of his friend, Doctor Henry C. Fish, a trustee of the School, leaving a business position in Cleveland to engage in a work for which by natural endowment and previous training he was well qualified.”

LaRoy Griffin (b. 1845, d. unknown) was named by the trustees as the third principal following Principal Pratt’s resignation in 1875. Griffin, a graduate of Brown University with a master of arts degree, was a scholarly man and experienced teacher at the Peabody Institute of Natural Sciences and Phillips Andover Academy. He remained in Hightstown only one year, however. Griffin later served for twelve years as professor of physical science at Lake Forest University.

Herbert E. Slaught (b. 1862, d. 1937) came to Peddie as a mathematics teacher after his graduation from Colgate University in 1883, at the age of 21. His salary was $350 a year. A brilliant mathematician, he became an outstanding teacher as well. Slaught was named acting principal when John Greene found it necessary to leave the campus in search of additional funds for the school’s endowment, and thus was a logical choice for the principalship after Greene’s departure in 1889, despite the fact that Slaught was only 27. During Slaught’s administration, the Longstreet Library and the science building were erected. Enrollment during Slaught’s tenure reached the highest point since the opening of the school. He served until 1892, when he left to become an associate professor at the newly-opened University of Chicago. (“The Peddie School’s First Century,” Carl Geiger)

The Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Perry was born in Modina, Pennsylvania and received his early education in Philadelphia. He graduated from Bucknell University, then attended Crozer Theological Seminary, where he obtained his Doctor of Divinity degree. Prior to taking on the principalship at Peddie, Perry was the chair of ethics at Bucknell University. During Perry’s administration, $100,000 was added to the endowment through the legacy of Mrs. Sarah Ogden Peddie, who died in 1893. Perry also oversaw a period of expansion of the campus, acquiring the Octagon House in 1896 as well as eight acres of land to the south of the campus and the “Peddie Woods.” In 1868, Perry resigned to accept a position with the Baptist Board of Home Missions.

The greatest contribution to Peddie’s progress during its early years both academically and materially came under the administration of Roger W. Swetland (b. 1861, d. 1934), who served the school for 36 years from 1898–1934. Swetland was educated at the Lewisville Academy in Ulysses, Pennsylvania, at the State Normal School in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania and later at the University of Rochester. Then principal of Cook Academy in Montour Falls, New York, in the spring of 1898 Swetland happened to meet a member of the Board of Corporators at Peddie, who mentioned Peddie’s need for a new principal and suggested that Swetland apply for the opening. He was immediately chosen. During his administration, Swetland expanded the campus to 240 acres from the 25-acre campus he inherited. Enrollment grew from 129 students in 1898 to a yearly enrollment of 350 to 400 students, and Swetland oversaw the change to single-sex education, when Peddie became an all-boys school in 1908. Swetland also devised a campus master plan, the result of which can still be seen on today’s campus. Swetland oversaw the building of Geiger-Reeves (originally built as a gymnasium, now a theater), Coleman Dormitory, Trask Dormitory, the Roberson Infirmary (now the College Counseling Office), Avery House and the largest building project, Memorial Hall (now Annenberg Hall), built in 1923. Other new buildings or acquisitions included Austen Colgate Dormitory, the Ward homestead, Kalomathia House and Rivenburg House. Swetland was also the recipient of a gift from Walter H. Annenberg, Class of 1927, in the form of a new track.

Swetland’s final years at the school saw a return to uncertainty, however, due to the Great Depression. In 1934, Peddie’s enrollment dropped to below 200. A personal blow to Swetland was the death of Mrs. Swetland in December, 1932. Following the 1934 Commencement, Swetland was given a diagnosis of advanced cancer, and died on September 15, 1934.

F. Edward Potter, Jr. (b. 1943, d. 1988) 13th headmaster of Peddie, served the school from 1977 until his untimely death in 1988 at the age of 45. Potter was an alumnus of St. Paul’s School, and had a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College and a master’s degree from the University of Connecticut. He was formerly with the Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island.

During the 2012 Founders Day service, Potter was praised by faculty member Samuel Tattersall and alumnus P.J. Horgan ’84 as a leader who arrived at Peddie at a point in time when both its reputation and finances were in a precarious state, turned the school around and, with the integral help of Walter H. Annenberg ’27, set it on a successful course. Quoting Potter as believing, “The more we accomplish, the more we dare,” Tattersall said, “It was almost as if he could see Peddie’s future.” Potter was universally loved by the Peddie community and deeply loved his school in return. Horgan, speaking directly to the student body, asked that they “utilize the legacy of Headmaster Potter to understand the foundation he helped build. Remember, this is our house, our family.”

Anne Seltzer (b. 1942) has had a long and varied career at Peddie. After receiving a B.A. from The College of Wooster, Seltzer earned an M.A. at Northwestern University in classics. She taught at Northwestern from 1976–79, where she received Teacher of the Year Award. She joined the English faculty at Peddie in 1980 and served as chair of that department, and later as dean of faculty. After the death of former headmaster Edward Potter in 1988, Seltzer became acting head of school for one year. She was appointed director of development in 1992, and it was during her tenure that the school received the largest gift in its history — a $100 million donation from Walter H. Annenberg ’27. She served as director of development until her retirement in 2003. Currently, Seltzer continues to serve the school as a member of the Board of Trustees. She now consults with a variety of schools and nonprofits on fundraising.

Thomas A. DeGray (b. 1939, d. 2015), who served as headmaster from 1989 until 2001, arrived at a school that was vastly different than the Peddie of today. The campus was still reeling from the sudden death of beloved headmaster Ed Potter, and there was significant need for countless renovations of the school’s aging physical plant. The school operated with an endowment of $6 million (compared to approximately $250 million in 2012). Under DeGray’s tenure, the school became a state-of-the-art technological campus, instituted the Principio Project and in 1993, received the greatest gift in the school’s history — a $100 million gift from Walter H. Annenberg ’27. DeGray himself was most proud of the increased diversity of Peddie’s student body, made possible largely through Annenberg’s generosity. DeGray served Peddie until his retirement in 2001.