William Rainey Harper | |
|---|---|
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| Inaugural President of the University of Chicago | |
| In office 1891–1906 | |
| Succeeded by | Harry Pratt Judson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1856-07-24)July 24, 1856[1] New Concord, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | January 10, 1906(1906-01-10) (aged 49) Chicago,Illinois, U.S. |
| Spouse | Ella Paul Harper |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | |
| Profession | Scholar and educational administrator |
| Signature |  |
William Rainey Harper (July 24, 1856 – January 10, 1906) was an American academic leader, an accomplishedsemiticist, andBaptist clergyman. Harper helped to establish both theUniversity of Chicago andBradley University and served as the inaugural president of both institutions. He served as theinaugural president of the University Chicago from 1891 to 1906
Harper was born on July 24, 1856, inNew Concord, Ohio,[Note 1] to parents of Irish-Scottish ancestry.[2]Very early in his life, Harper displayed skills years ahead of other children of his age, and he was labeled achild prodigy. By the age of eight, Harper began preparing forcollege-level courses. At the age of ten he enrolled inMuskingum College in his native New Concord. At the age of fourteen, he graduated from Muskingum College.[1] In 1872, Harper enrolled inYale University to begin his postgraduate studies, and he completed his PhD there in 1875.[3] Harper quickly assumed a series of faculty positions, including ones at the Masonic College inMacon, Tennessee,Denison University and Yale University.[4]
Throughout his academic life, Harper wrote numerous textbooks. A strong supporter of lifelong learning, Harper was also involved with theChautauqua Institution inChautauqua, New York, and its academic programs starting in 1883.[5]
William Rainey Harper married Ella Paul Harper in 1875. They were the parents of three sons, Samuel Northrup, Paul, and Donald, and one daughter, Davida.
In 1891,John D. Rockefeller selected thirty-five-year-old Harper to assist in organizing theUniversity of Chicago, and shortly thereafter, he was selected as the university's firstpresident. Harper also had expert knowledge of every department of education as well as business acumen, and he was a very powerful public speaker.[2] In hiring the faculty of the newuniversity and selecting its students, Harper set standards quite high. Harper elevated the salaries of the faculty members above those of ordinary schoolteachers, and by doing so attracted the best scholars of all disciplines to the university.
Harper founded the nation's first departments ofEgyptology andsociology at Chicago and established theUniversity of Chicago Press. He also instituted the nation's first extension school, enabling those who worked during the day to attend classes at night and on weekends. Harper is also attributed with first organizing the academic quarter system on behalf of John D. Rockefeller in 1891. One of Harper's ideas, that many would benefit by taking the first two years of college in their hometowns, led to the founding ofAmerican community colleges.
In the 1890s, Harper, fearful that the vast resources of the University of Chicago would injure smaller schools by drawing away good students, established an affiliation program with several regional colleges and universities, includingDes Moines College,Kalamazoo College,Butler College, andStetson University. Under the terms of the affiliation, the schools were required to have courses of study comparable to those at the University of Chicago; to notify the University early of any contemplated faculty appointments or dismissals; to make no faculty appointment without the University of Chicago's approval; and to send copies of examinations to the University for suggestions and improvements prior to distribution. The University of Chicago agreed to confer a degree on any graduating senior from an affiliated school who made a grade of A for all four years and on any other graduate who took twelve weeks additional study at the University of Chicago. A student or faculty member of an affiliated school was entitled to free tuition at the University of Chicago, and Chicago students were eligible to attend an affiliated school on the same terms and receive credit for their work. The University of Chicago also agreed to provide affiliated schools with books and scientific apparatus and supplies at cost; to provide special instructors and lecturers without cost except travel expenses; and to provide a copy of every book and journal published by the University of Chicago Press to the libraries of the affiliated schools at no cost. The agreement provided that either party could terminate the affiliation on proper notice. Several University of Chicago professors disliked the program, as it required uncompensated additional labor from them and cheapened Chicago's academic reputation. After Harper's death in 1906, the program was gradually discontinued, and it had passed into history by 1910.[6]
With his background as aSemiticist and Baptist clergyman, Harper believed that the University's programs should include religious study. Accordingly, he arranged for the Baptist Theological Union Seminary to relocate fromMorgan Park and become theUniversity of Chicago Divinity School.[7]
In 1903 Harper founded theReligious Education Association.[8]
While at University of Chicago, Harper chaired a mayoral commission responsible for reorganizingChicago Public Schools and standardizing the system's curriculum. Harper, being opposed to the employment of women as teachers (which had resulted from the reforms ofHorace Mann), moved to block a raise for female teachers and encourage the selective hiring of men. (When female teachers complained about this, Harper replied that they should be glad they earned as much as his wife's maid.) The ensuing dispute contributed to the organizing of theChicago Teachers Federation, the precursor to theChicago Teachers Union.[9]
In 1896, Harper assistedLydia Moss Bradley in foundingBradley Polytechnic Institute inPeoria, Illinois. Now known as Bradley University, Harper served as its first president.[10]
Harper died on January 10, 1906, of cancer at age 49. He and his wife are interred atRockefeller Memorial Chapel on campus at the University of Chicago.[11]
William Rainey Harper College, acommunity college located inPalatine, Illinois, honors him. He is also the namesake ofHarper High School and Harper Avenue inChicago. An elementary school inCleveland is named for him as well.[12]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)| Academic offices | ||
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| Preceded by None | President of the University of Chicago 1891–1906 | Succeeded by |
