Capt. Alden Partridge, U.S. Army (February 12, 1785 - January 17, 1854) was an early Acting Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point and a pioneer in U.S. military education. A native of Norwich, Vermont, he graduated from West Point in 1806. He spent his entire Army career at the Academy, serving from 1806-1818 as an instructor first of mathematics and then engineering. From 1814-1817 he served as acting superintendent, but was forced to step down due to controversy over his administration. He was forced to resign his commission in 1818.
In 1819, he founded Norwich University in his hometown of Norwich. The school was originally named the "American Literary, Scientific, and Military Academy." The university is now located in Northfield, Vermont, and is the nation's oldest private military college. Norwich University is nicknamed the "Birthplace of ROTC" because it was the first school to offer the Reserve Officers Training Program.
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