Walter Parker Beckwith, the fourth Principal of the Salem Normal School, was born in Lempster, New Hampshire on August 27, 1850. Because he lived in a rural area, much of his early education was limited to the short terms of district schools. When he was fifteen, he left his father's farm to begin his college preparation. He attended the high school in Claremont, New Hampshire and then went on to Kimball Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire. In 1871, he entered Tufts University, where he excelled in his studies and was a leader among his classmates. He was graduated from Tufts with honors in 1876, after taking a year off from his studies to teach.

During his undergraduate days, Beckwith had considered becoming a lawyer; however, his successful teaching experience and his love for the process of education persuaded him to remain in the profession. Upon graduation, he became principal of a high school in Chicopee where he remained for two years. In 1878, he became superintendent of schools in Adams, a position that he held for the next eighteen years. He returned to Tufts for a Master's degree during his tenure at Adams and was graduated with a M.A. in Latin and English literature in 1883.

In 1896, he was appointed principal of the Salem Normal School. Several major changes took place during his tenure, including the building of a new campus and a subsequent increase in enrollment. He was also responsible for the admittance of men to the school and several curricular changes. Beckwith discontinued the advanced course and replaced it with special courses of study designed for teachers and college graduates. He improved and enriched the course of study for the elementary program and instituted a model school, which was located on the first floor of the main academic building. Walter Beckwith died on October 13, 1905 of cancer.