John Thornton Kirkland was born on 17 August 1770 in upstate New York. A graduate of the Philips Academy and Harvard College, he worked as a tutor/teacher and studied theology before assuming the pastorate of the New South Church in Boston, a post he held for sixteen years. During his tenure as president of Harvard (1810–28), the college raised qualifications for admission, established a law school, and reorganized the medical school.