Charles Robert Longsworth

Charles R. Longsworth (elected April 1989) died on January 8, 2025. He began his career selling flower seeds to retailers across Maine. In his late twenties, Longsworth’s alma mater, Amherst College, hired him to run a fundraising campaign, after which he oversaw the creation of Hampshire College. He served as the college’s second president from 1971 to 1977. Longsworth’s career then took him to Colonial Williamsburg, where he served as president for more than seventeen years and oversaw the process of bringing African American experiences into the living history museum. He was also a pilot, outdoor adventurer, and woodworker.