William Rainey Harper
William Rainey Harper | |
---|---|
First President of the University of Chicago | |
In office 1891–1906 | |
Succeeded by | Harry Pratt Judson |
Personal details | |
Born | [1] New Concord, Ohio, US | July 24, 1856
Died | January 10, 1906 Chicago, Illinois, US | (aged 49)
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 accomplished
Early life
Harper was born on July 24, 1856, in New 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 a
Throughout his academic life, Harper wrote numerous textbooks. A strong supporter of lifelong learning, Harper was also involved with the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, and its academic programs starting in 1883.[5]
Personal life
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.
As University of Chicago president
In 1891,
Academic innovations
Harper founded the nation's first departments of Egyptology and sociology at Chicago and established the University 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 of American 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, including
Religious education
With his background as a
In 1903 Harper founded the Religious Education Association.[8]
Other activities
While at University of Chicago, Harper chaired a mayoral commission responsible for reorganizing Chicago Public Schools and standardizing the system's curriculum. Harper, being opposed to the employment of women as teachers (which had resulted from the reforms of Horace 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 the Chicago Teachers Federation, the precursor to the Chicago Teachers Union.[9]
In 1896, Harper assisted Lydia Moss Bradley in founding Bradley Polytechnic Institute in Peoria, Illinois. Now known as Bradley University, Harper served as its first president.[10]
Death and legacy
Harper died on January 10, 1906, of cancer at age 49. He and his wife are interred at
Published works
- Introductory Hebrew Method and Manual (1886)
- An Inductive Greek Method (1888) (co-written by William E. Waters)
- An Inductive Latin Method (co-written by Isaac Burgess)
- Elements of Hebrew Syntax By an Inductive Method (1888)
- An Introductory New Testament Greek Method (1889), (co-written by Revere Franklin Weidner)
- Eight Books Of Caesar's Gallic War, with Herbert Cushing Tolman (American Book Company, 1891)
- Young Folks Library: Leaders of Men or History Told in Biography (Editor-1891)
- The Foreshadowings of the Christ
- The Prophetic Element in the Old Testament
- The Priestly Element in the Old Testament
- An Inductive Greek Primer (1893) (co-written by Clarence Castle)
- Xenophon's Anabasis Seven Books (1893)
- Religion and the Higher Life (1904)
- The Prophetic Element In The Old Testament: An Aid To Historical Study For Use In Advanced Bible Classes (1905)
- A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Amos and Hosea (1905)
- The Biblical world, Volume 53 (1919)
- Inductive Bible Studies; Samuel, Saul, David and Solomon
See also
Notes
- Muskingum College.
References
- ^ "William Rainey Harper". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
- ^ a b Bradley University (1907). Bradley Polytechnic Institute: The first decade, 1897-1907. Bradley University. p. 128.
- ^ "William Rainey Harper: Young Man in a Hurry: Harper College". www.harpercollege.edu. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ "William Rainey Harper: Young Man in a Hurry: Harper College". www.harpercollege.edu. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- George E. Vincent (July 6, 1914). "What is Chautauqua?". The Independent. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
- ^ Gilbert Lycan, Stetson University: The First 100 Years, Chicago: Stetson University Press, 1983, 70-72, 168-188.
- ^ "History and Mission". The University of Chicago Divinity School. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- S2CID 145338986.
- ISBN 978-0-385-53696-7.
- ^ "The Founding of Bradley". Bradley University. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved April 6, 2008.
- ^ Liss, Joseph N (August 2004). "Myth Information". 94 (6). University of Chicago Magazine. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
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(help) - ^ "William Rainey Harper Elementary". Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
External links
- Kelleher, Florence M. (April 2, 1997). "William Rainey Harper". Yerkes Observatory Virtual Museum. University of Chicago. Archived from the original on July 17, 2006.
- Biography of William Rainey Harper at the William Rainey Harper Collegeweb site
- Flyer from the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago regarding the establishment of the William Rainey Harper Memorial Fund. Chicago, March 1, 1906 from the American Memory collection at the Library of Congress
- Guide to the William Rainey Harper Papers 1872-1938 at the University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center
- Guide to the University of Chicago Office of the President, Harper, Judson and Burton Administrations Records 1869-1925 at the University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center