Kirtley Fletcher Mather | |
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| Born | (1888-02-13)February 13, 1888 Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Died | May 5, 1978(1978-05-05) (aged 90) Albuquerque, New Mexico, US |
| Alma mater | Denison University,University of Chicago |
| Occupations |
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| Employer | Harvard University |
| Partner(s) | Marie Porter Mather, Muriel Williams Mather |
| Awards | Cullum Geographical Medal, 1964 Edison Award for the best science book for young people, 1964 Book Award of the Geographic Society of Chicago |
Kirtley Fletcher Mather (February 13, 1888 – May 5, 1978) was an American geologist and faculty member atHarvard University. An expert onpetroleum geology andmineralogy, Mather was a scholar, advocate for academic freedom,social activist, and critic ofMcCarthyism. He worked to harmonize the dialogue between science and religion, played a role in theScopes "Monkey Trial", supported adult education programs and advocated for civil liberties.
Kirtley Mather was the second of six children born to William Green Mather and Julia Sabrina King. William Mather was the son of a Baptist minister. Mather is related toIncrease andCotton Mather, well knownNew EnglandPuritan ministers. They are all directly descended fromRev. Richard Mather.[1] The family's religious heritage would be significant in forming young Mather's social conscience.
Mather was born and grew up in Chicago, Illinois and graduated fromSouth Chicago High School in 1904. After completing his first two years of undergraduate studies at theUniversity of Chicago, he transferred toDenison University, where the school had a strong Baptist heritage and his older brother was a student. After graduating from Denison in 1909, he returned to the University of Chicago, where he completed his Ph.D. degree in 1915.[2]
As an academic scientist, Mather's areas of expertise were in the fields of petroleum geology and mineralogy. His teaching career began at theUniversity of Arkansas (1911–1914), while he was still in his doctoral program. After completing his graduate studies, he held faculty positions atQueen's University (1915–1918) and Denison University (1918–1924), before beginning a 30-year teaching career at Harvard University in 1924. For a period of time during his tenure at Harvard, he served as chairman of the geology department.[2] In addition to his teaching duties at Harvard, he served as the Director of theHarvard Summer School from 1933 through 1938.[3] During his retirement in Albuquerque, he served as a visiting faculty member at theUniversity of New Mexico.
Mather was an proponent of readily accessible adult education programs. Although he was associated with an elite university for 30 years, he believed that the interests of democracy were more closely associated with adult literacy and education programs for all citizens. Mather was a supporter of Dorothy Hewitt and the Boston Center for Adult Education she founded.[4]
Mather was entrusted with leadership responsibilities for several national professional organizations. In 1938, he served as the head of the Association of Summer Session Deans and Directors.[5] In 1951, he became a member of the board of trustees for Science Service, now known asSociety for Science & the Public.[citation needed] He served as board president of theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science from 1948 to 1956 and theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences from 1957 to 1961. For his scholarship in the field of geology, he was awarded theCullum Geographical Medal in 1965.[6] Additionally, in 1964, for his bookThe Earth Beneath Us, Mather received the Edison Award for the best science book for young people and the Book Award of the Geographic Society of Chicago.
Mather played a part in the 1925Scopes "Monkey Trial". For the trial he submitted a deposition for the defense and helpedClarence Darrow rehearse his questioning ofWilliam Jennings Bryan. Mather's biographer, Kennard Bork, notes this in relation to Mather's involvement with the trial:
By 1924 Mather had already perceived the threat of biblical literalism as used by some segments of the religious right. Offended by methods and claims of the anti-evolutionists, he declared that his love of religion, as well as his commitment to science, drove him to oppose William Jennings Bryan and the prosecutors of organic evolution.[7]
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Mather was committed to progressive social causes, serving as the first president ofPromoting Enduring Peace. From the academy, to the court room and on the national stage, Mather was advocate and activist for academic freedom and human rights. A harbinger of Mather's willingness to stakeout unpopular positions in the service of academic freedom is what his biographer, Kennard Bork refers to as the “Kornhauser Affair” at Denison University in 1922. In this instance Mather championed the cause of Professor Sidney I. Kornhauser[8] whose failure to achieve tenure was perceived by many colleagues to involve anti-semitic or anti-liberal bias among some university supporters and members of the administration.[2] Kornhauser went on to a teaching career at theUniversity of Louisville, where the medical school's library bears his name.[9][10]
Mather took a leadership role in resisting theMassachusetts Teachers' Oath of 1935.[11] The loyalty oath was adopted by the Massachusetts state legislature and enforced by Harvard PresidentJames B. Conant. The entire affair contributed to efforts by Mather and fellow Harvard faculty members likeF.O. Matthiessen andMax Lerner to form the Cambridge Union of University Teachers, Harvard's chapter of theAmerican Federation of Teachers.[12]
In 1937, Mather co-founded theInstitute for Propaganda Analysis withEdward A. Filene andClyde R. Miller.[13] From 1946 to 1949, Mather was chairman of the Massachusetts Civil Liberties Union. He was described by theHarvard Crimson as an "outspoken critic ofMcCarthyism".[14] A measure of theRed Scare price that Mather would pay for his activism is reflected in the April 4, 1949, issue ofLife magazine. In an article subsection titledDupes and Fellow Travelers Dress Up Communist Fronts, Mather is pictured among 50 prominent academics, scientists, clergy and writers, includingAlbert Einstein,Arthur Miller,Lillian Hellman,Langston Hughes,Norman Mailer and fellow Harvard professors,F.O. Matthiessen,Corliss Lamont andRalph Barton Perry.[15]
Mather was married twice, first to Marie Porter Mather from 1912 until her death in 1971. They were parents to three daughters, Florence (1916–2006), Julia (1920–1986) and Jean (1929-2021). Florence married Sherman Wengard, who taught petroleum geology at the University of New Mexico. Julia (“Judy”) was on the staff at Denison University and married to LeRoy Seils, Professor of Health and Physical Education and Athletic Director at Denison. Jean married Dean W. Seibel and they had three children, Steve, Linda, and Geoffrey.
He married Muriel Williams Mather in 1977. They were together until his death. Upon his retirement from Harvard in 1954, he and Marie traveled widely around the world, finally settling in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he resided until his death at the age of 90. During his retirement years in Albuquerque, he served as a visiting faculty member at theUniversity of New Mexico.[2] Mather died on May 5, 1978, in Albuquerque.
Mather was a scientist and academic who took progressive and often controversial stands on issues of academic freedom and human rights. In addition to the legacy of his scholarship, he stands among twentieth century American scientists who sought to harmonize the dialogue between science and religion and to ally himself with progressive social causes. Archives of his research and correspondence are held by both the University of Chicago and Denison University.[2][16]
In 1982, Lynn Elfner reflected on the Scopes Trial and Mather's legacy:
Mather's motivation throughout most of his life was the defense of civil liberties and the academic freedom of many of his colleagues. His education was not in jurisprudence; rather, it was grounded in basic geology and was greatly aided by extensive field experience over much of the earth. To this must be added a great love of people and an unusual ability to persuade and influence others to his views. He was a rare individual who successfully bridged the gap between science and religion. He was comfortable and respected in both camps. Today his wisdom and authority are more important than ever.[17]
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