LeBaron Russell Briggs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 2nd President ofRadcliffe College | |
| In office 1903–1923 | |
| Preceded by | Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz |
| Succeeded by | Ada Louise Comstock |
| Dean ofHarvard College | |
| In office 1891–1902 | |
| Preceded by | Clement Lawrence Smith |
| Succeeded by | Byron Hurlbut |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1855-12-11)December 11, 1855 Salem, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | April 24, 1934(1934-04-24) (aged 78) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
LeBaron Russell Briggs (December 11, 1855 – April 24, 1934)[1] was an American educator. He was appointed the first dean of men atHarvard College, and subsequently served as dean of the faculty until he retired. He was concurrently president ofRadcliffe College and theNational Collegiate Athletic Association.[2]
Briggs was born inSalem, Massachusetts on December 11, 1855. He was the son of Unitarian minister George Ware Briggs and Lucia Jane (née Russell) Briggs.[1] Among his siblings was brother George Russell Briggs.
He received A.B. (in 1875) and A.M. degrees (in 1882) fromHarvard University.[3]
After graduating from Harvard, he began teaching there; he began as a Greek tutor before moving to English, eventually becoming theBoylston Professor of Rhetoric from 1904 until 1925.[4]
Briggs was appointed dean of Harvard College in 1891 (to 1902) and dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences from 1902 until his retirement in 1925. His appointment as dean of men was the first "student personnel" appointment, which later became the catalyst for theStudent Affairs field inhigher education. Briggs was responsible for advising studentsacademically, and on personal issues. "His fairness in dealing with the Faculty and students alike, his patience in dealing with erring undergraduates, and his always kindly humor endeared him to everyone," wroteGeorge Henry Chase.[a]
In 1903, Briggs succeeded co-founderElizabeth Cary Agassiz as the second president of Radcliffe College, which had been founded as the Society for the Collegiate Instruction of Women in 1882 before becoming Radcliffe College in 1894.[6] During his presidency (which was then a part-time position), the college purchased the Greenleaf estate and built five new dormitories. Also during his tenure, the student body grew from less than 500 in 1903 to more than 700 in 1923. The geographical diversity of students also increased, with the number of students matriculating from outside of Massachusetts rising from 19 percent in 1903 to 33 percent in 1923.[7]
He served as president for twenty years until 1923,[8] when he was succeeded byAda Louise Comstock who also served as president for twenty years from 1923 to 1943.[7] Before Briggs left office, the administration of Radcliffe requested that Radcliffe become a college for women within Harvard, but were again refused. In his last presidential report, Briggs wrote: “I believe that ultimately Radcliffe will become a women’s college in Harvard, but that neither institution is as yet prepared for such a union.”[7]
After his retirement from Radcliffe, he wrote the novel,Men, Women And Colleges, which was published in 1925 by theHoughton Mifflin Company.[9]
In 1883, Briggs was married to Mary Frances De Quedville (b. 1862) of Cambridge. Together, they were the parents of three children:[1]
Briggs died on April 24, 1934, inMilwaukee, Wisconsin, at the home of his daughter Lucia.[1] He was buried at Oak Grove Cemetery inPlymouth, Massachusetts,[14] where he had a summer home.[1]
Briggs was also a trustee ofMiddlesex School, where the LeBaron Briggs House dormitory is named for him, as is Briggs Hall at Harvard'sCabot House. He received honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale,Western Reserve University andLafayette University.[1]
His nautical namesake, theliberty shipLeBaron Russell Briggs, was scuttled with its cargo ofnerve gas on August 18, 1970, as the last installment of a project in which the United Statesdisposed of much of its stockpile by dumping it at sea.[15][16]
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