Henry Fowle Durant (February 22, 1822 – October 3, 1881) was an American lawyer and philanthropist, as well as the co-founder, with his wife, Pauline Durant, of Wellesley Female Seminary, which became Wellesley College. Early life and career Durant was born in Hanover, New Hampshire as Henry Wells Smith. He changed his name to Henry Fowle Durant to avoid confusion with a local businessman. He completed his studies in Harvard Law School at Harvard University in 1841. He subsequently practiced in Boston. Durant married his cousin, Pauline Adeline Durant (née Fowle), in 1855. The couple went on to have two children, Henry “Harry” Fowle Durant and Pauline Cazenove Durant. Both children died in early childhood. After the death of his son, Harry, Durant underwent a religious conversion and became a lay preacher in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, practicing from 1864 to 1875. In 1870, Henry and Pauline Durant contributed between one and two million dollars to found Wellesley Female Seminary, in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Durant, a staunch believer in female education, famously said, “Women can do the work. I give them the chance.” Henry Durant died from Bright's Disease at the age of 59. References American evangelists Harvard Law School alumni Massachusetts lawyers Wellesley College people 1822 births 1881 deaths People from Hanover, New Hampshire People from Wellesley, Massachusetts 19th-century American philanthropists 19th-century American lawyers