Charles Nesbitt was famous throughout the Old World as the most learned Greek scholar of all Europe, and was so mentioned by Hon. James G. Blaine in an oration delivered at the Dickinson Centennial in 1882. His reputation as a man of letters extended into America, so that he was urged to come to the United States and accept the Presidency of Dickinson College, then about to be established. He accepted the offer and became the first President of the institution, the success of which was largely enhanced by his fame as a scholar.