Charles William Nassau

Reverend Charles William Nassau D.D., (April 12, 1804 – August 6, 1878) was a Presbyterian minister and the fourth president of Lafayette College serving from 1849 to 1850.

Early life Charles Nassau was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804 to Reverend William Nassau, a ruling elder at the Second Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, and Ann Nassau (née Parkinson). The family descended from the Duchy of Nassau, through Charles Henry Von Nassau, the chief hunt master to Augustus II the Strong, the King of Saxony.

Nassau initially attended school at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating on July 26, 1821, and studied Hebrew the following year with a professor from the school. Nassau attended Princeton Theological Seminary for one year before leaving due to health problems, and completed his seminary with the Presbytery of Philadelphia on April 23, 1824. Nassau was ordained by the Presbytery on November 16, 1825.

In 1848, Lafayette College was under dire financial stress due to a lacking endowment. The previous president, George Junkin, resigned in the 1848 school year leaving the college without a president. In a state of emergency, Nassau was elected as president in 1849. Despite Nassau's education, he was unable to turn the financial situation around, and left the position in September, 1850 when debtors began to take legal action against the school.

After the presidency at Lafayette, Nassau became head of the Young Ladies' Seminary in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. He served in this position until 1875, and the seminary prospered well during his tenure.

He died in Trenton on August 6, 1878.