"The event most cherished and observed by the whole student body, which became a major ceremonial preserved in a relatively mild form to this date, was the Grand Marshal’s election and installation. This first occurred in 1865, when Major Albert M. Harper of Pittsburgh was elected and endowed with a ceremonial sword, as was fitting in a year of war. His function was to head and represent the entire student body on all occasions in all relations, thereby giving it a formal unity. Except for a few years during the 1890’s Grand Marshals were elected each year, usually in the spring, and this provided, as it were, the culminating event of the student calendar"

Text excerpt from "Education for a technological society ; a sesquicentennial history of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute"

By Samuel Rezneck