1874 Hezekiah Conant
A graduate of Nichols Academy, Hezekiah Conant, is credited with being its second founder and most “munificent benefactor.” Arriving on the Board of Trustees in 1874, he launched a campaign to rejuvenate his beloved alma mater by building three new structures (still in use today) and enhancing the curriculum to prepare students for the best colleges and technical schools. An inventor and owner of the Conant Thread Company in Pawtucket, R.I., Conant held 13 patents. Among them is a unique astronomical clock that kept solar and sidereal time, currently located in the Conant Library.