Marquis Lafayette Wood

Marquis Lafayette Wood (October 23, 1829 – November 25, 1893) was a Methodist minister who served as president of Trinity College, the predecessor of Duke University, following the death of Braxton Craven. Wood raised the first endowment money for Duke. He is the only president of Duke who was also an alumnus, and submitted the 1889 resolution to move the school from Randolph County, North Carolina. Wood's one-sentence definition of the college presidency was that "All great enterprises require time and patience and labor and suffering and money." Following the end of his presidency in 1884, Duke was governed by a Committee of the Board of Trustees for three years, until John Franklin Crowell became president. Prior to his tenure at Duke, Wood served as a missionary in Shanghai.[1]

Marquis Lafayette Wood
Marquis Wood, Courtesy of the Duke University Archives
President of Trinity College
In office 1883–1884
Preceded by	Braxton Craven
Succeeded by	John Franklin Crowell
Personal details
Born	(1829-10-23)October 23, 1829
Died	November 25, 1893(1893-11-25) (aged 64)