Goldwin Smith was a British historian and journalist, active in the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1856 to 1866, he was a professor of modern history at Oxford University. He taught at Cornell University in the United States from 1868 to 1872, and was instrumental in establishing the school's international reputation, but left the university when it began admitting female students. He is the namesake of Goldwin Smith Hall at Cornell.

Andrew Dickson White was an American historian and educator who co-founded Cornell University, one of eight Ivy League universities in the United States, and served as its first president for nearly two decades. He was known for expanding the scope of college curricula. A politician, he had served as New York state senator and was later appointed as U.S. ambassador to Germany and Russia.