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Harvard's First Husband

by Margo Howard
May/June 2007

Illustration by John Kascht

Charles Rosenberg has made his own Faustian bargain. When Harvard declared it was under new management—his wife’s—Rosenberg, a Harvard historian of science, underwent a semi-seismic life change. He became the first First Gentleman in the history of the storied institution. Professor Rosenberg now finds himself an Ivy League hybrid of Prince Consort, Mark Antony, and First Lady. How will he play his new role? There are no guidelines for a First Gentleman (except, perhaps, those set by Mr. Thatcher) so Dr. Rosenberg has quite a bit of leeway. Who, after all, would be able to say, “That is not the way it is done?”

Professor Rosenberg will not have to declare, à la Hillary, that he won’t be staying home making cookies and pouring tea. No one expects this of him … being a man and also being otherwise employed. One guesses that President Faust will make her own cookies and pour her own tea, or that these duties will be delegated to a helper at Elmwood, the president’s mansion.

The previous three Harvard First Ladies offer very different role models for Professor Rosenberg. Sissela Bok, the child of two Nobelists, did her own thing. She and Derek had a true partnership marriage; he respected her independence and her work. During his tenure she published her landmark book, Lying: Moral Choice in Private and Public Life. She was not the hostess type, as her husband impressed upon the Corporation when it asked if he might like to be president.

The approach of Mrs. Neil Rudenstine, however, seems to support the old saw that “Behind every great man is a woman. Pushing.” Angelica Zander Rudenstine’s strong personality complemented her husband’s gentility and quietness. She had very definite opinions—about almost everything—and he was amenable to listening. Or at least he was used to listening. It is said that building and grounds personnel were reluctant to work at Elmwood because Angelica was, well, ironically named.

As for the Summers presidency, Mrs. Summers (Elisa New, a Harvard professor of English) was not in fact Mrs. Summers when her future husband assumed the top post at Harvard, though she would be his supportive companion and hostess for much of his presidency. They married just six months before he was liberated from his job, so her official First Lady status did not last long. But throughout their courtship and during their time in Elmwood, she was said to have worked to elevate the president’s social graces—and his wardrobe.

Someone who knows Professor Rosenberg socially finds him “kind, witty, brilliant, and with no need to dominate the conversation.” According to said acquaintance, his and Drew Faust’s marriage is a strong one. This suggests that Harvard’s First Gentleman will handle his new position in a manner that combines the approaches of Elisa New and Sissela Bok. We can think of this as the NewBok Method.

The real bottom line, though, is that the president’s husband can do anything he wants for the simple reason that no man has been in this position before. Charles Rosenberg will be a trailblazer in whatever manner he chooses. And if he has a great sense of humor, we might even see him pouring tea.