In this essay, the authors examine an important first generation of university vice presidents and the structural, political, and psychological factors that led to their appointments and subsequently shaped their tenures in office. They explore in detail three particular, albeit overlapping, modes of vice presidential service, the variety of duties performed by these men, their relationships with the presidents they served, and their contributions to higher education, not the least of which, although easy to overlook, was assisting their more renowned presidents to achieve the successes for which the presidents are credited. They compiled their profiles from multiple sources, although most secondary sources proved minimally helpful. The nature of the vice presidents' work and their relationships with other members of the university community were derived from primary, largely archival, sources including the personal correspondence of the presidents and vice presidents, minutes of the boards of trustees, personal reminiscences of the presidents, vice presidents, and faculty members, eulogies and dedications, and, to a lesser extent, institutional histories. Here, the authors discuss early vice presidents at nine institutions and selected each university as a case study. (Contains 127 footnotes and 1 table.)