History of the Office

Caltech was founded in 1891 as Throop University by Amos Gager Throop. The university's name was changed to Throop Polytechnic Institute, then to Throop College of Technology, and finally, in 1920, to the California Institute of Technology.

In the early years, the presidents were Charles H. Keyes (1892–1896), Walter A. Edwards (1897–1907), Arthur Henry Chamberlain (acting, 1908), and James A. B. Scherer (1908–1920).