School to drop name of Colonial-era general from hotel
AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — Amherst College is changing the name of the Lord Jeffrey Inn as part of the school's effort to at least partially disassociate itself with a controversial 18th-century British general.
Masslive.com reports the college's board of directors has voted to change the name of the century-old hotel it owns to the Inn at Boltwood starting in 2019.
According to historical documents, Lord Jeffrey Amherst once advocated for distributing blankets infected with smallpox as a means of wiping out the Native American population.
The liberal arts school, located in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts, did away its unofficial Lord Jeff mascot two years ago under pressure from students, faculty and alumni.