Palmer C. Ricketts

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Palmer Chamberlain Ricketts (January 17, 1856 – December 9, 1934) was the ninth president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He served as president for 33 years and oversaw a period of major expansion and development of the university.

Personal life

Palmer C. Ricketts was born in

Louis Davidson Ricketts, achieved prominence as a mining engineer and in finance in Arizona. He was married in 1902 to Vjera Renshaw of Baltimore.[2]

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Ricketts first arrived at RPI in 1871, at only fifteen years of age, where he joined the Alpha chapter of Theta Xi Fraternity as their 84th brother. He was an average student and participated in few campus activities, the exception being his membership on the editorial board of the 1874 edition of the Transit, the school yearbook. His graduating thesis was titled, "Review of the Substructure of the Wrought Iron Girder Bridge over the Hudson River at Troy."[3]

Immediately following his graduation in 1875, Ricketts was appointed as Assistant in Mathematics and Astronomy at RPI. Ricketts was promoted to Assistant Professor in 1882 and in 1884 became the William H. Hart Professor of Rational & Technical Mechanics, the first endowed chair at the Institute.[4] He was described in the campus newspaper, The Rensselaer Polytechnic, as "one of the most popular instructors in the Institute, a man whom we have honored for years, and whom we expect to see bringing great credit to his Alma Mater in his present position."[5]

In 1892, he was appointed director of the Institute, a position that put him in charge of the faculty. During this time, he expanded the curriculum by adding an electrical engineering program. He also worked to improve recognition and support of the Institute through various publicity efforts, such as a display of alumni work at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago.[6]

He was elected president in 1901 by unanimous consent of the board of trustees, replacing

Margaret Olivia Sage in 1906. Another large contribution of $5 million over several years came from John M. Lockhart, a member of the class of 1887, who was a Pittsburgh steel maker, financier and a son of a founder of Standard Oil. Lockhart was only discovered to be the contributor after his death, having given his money using the pseudonym "Builder."[8] Overall, he presided over the growth of Rensselaer's resources from less than $500,000 to more than $11 million.[9] Enrollment increased from around 200 to 1,900, and the number of faculty increased correspondingly. Ricketts organized the Institute's 100th Anniversary celebration, which was attended by dignitaries from around the world.[7] He wrote the first three editions of History of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; the first edition of was published in 1895, the second in 1914, and the third in 1934.[10]

In 1933, he began the construction of a building for the aeronautical, chemical and metallurgical engineering departments, but did not live to see its completion in 1935, as he died in office on December 9, 1934. It was named the Ricketts Building in his honor.[7] He was inducted into RPI's Alumni Hall of Fame in 1998.[11]

Career

Palmer C. Ricketts served as an assistant engineer for the

Corning, New York.[12] He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1914.[13]

Ricketts and his wife were both active in local affairs, and Ricketts himself served as director of the Troy Chamber of Commerce from 1900 to 1902. In 1933, just one year before he would die in office, he was honored as "the most outstanding citizen of Troy."[12]

References

  1. ^ "About The Cecil Whig". Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Palmer C. Ricketts". Rensselaer Office of the President. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  3. ^ ""Mr. Rensselaer" Palmer Chamberlain Ricketts: Student". Palmer C. Ricketts Exhibit. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  4. ^ ""Mr. Rensselaer" Palmer Chamberlain Ricketts: Professor". Palmer C. Ricketts Exhibit. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  5. ^ "The Rensselaer Polytechnic". Vol. 1, no. 4. 13 May 1885. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  6. ^ ""Mr. Rensselaer" Palmer Chamberlain Ricketts: Director". Palmer C. Ricketts Exhibit. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  7. ^ a b c ""Mr. Rensselaer" Palmer Chamberlain Ricketts: President". Palmer C. Ricketts Exhibit. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  8. ^ John M Lockhart
  9. ^ Rezneck, Samuel (1968). Education for a Technological Society: A Sesquicentennial History of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.[1]
  10. ^ Ricketts, Palmer C. (1934). History of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1824-1934. John Wiley & Sons: NY.[2]
  11. ^ "Palmer C. Ricketts". RPI Alumni Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
  12. ^ a b ""Mr. Rensselaer" Palmer Chamberlain Ricketts: Professional". Palmer C. Ricketts Exhibit. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  13. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2023-11-09.

External links

Academic offices
Preceded by
President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

1901 – 1934 		Succeeded by
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