He learned from private tutors in his early years. In 1896, he attended a private boarding school in Massachusetts called Groton School, led by headmaster Endicott Peabody. He received an excellent education at this academy, as did all four of his sons. He then attended Harvard, where he majored in political science and government. He did not excel academically, but graduated in 1904. While in college, he was the editor-in-chief of the Harvard Crimson.