William Rainey Harper (1856-1906) Noted academic; organizer and first President of the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.

Born in New Concord, Ohio¹ in 1856, William Rainey Harper established himself as one of America's leading academics of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.

Very early in life, Harper displayed skills years ahead of other children his age and was labeled a prodigy. By the age of eight, Harper began preparing for college level courses; at the age of ten he enrolled in Muskingum College in his native New Concord, Ohio. In 1872, Harper enrolled in Yale University to begin his post graduate studies, which he completed in 1876. Throughout his academic life, Harper wrote numerous texts. A strong supporter of life long learning, Harper was also involved with the Chautauqua Institute and its programming.

In 1891 at the age of thirty-five, John D. Rockefeller selected Harper to assist in the organization of the University of Chicago, and shortly thereafter, Harper was named its first President. In staffing the University and selecting students, Harper set the standards very high. Harper elevated the compensation of academic professions above that of school teacher, and by doing so attracted the best and the brightest to the University. While his critics called this policy imprudent, Rockefeller called the move one of his best investments.

In addition to encouraging the establishment for the first department of Sociology in the United States, Harper ensured the established of the University of Chicago Press . Harper also instituted the first Extension Service in America designed to bring classes to those who could not attend regular classes because of work or other conflicts.

Harper died in 1906 of cancer. William Rainey Harper College in Palatine, Illinois is named for him.

Notes

Note 1:The original log cabin that was William Rainey Harper’s birthplace is located in New Concord, Ohio across from the main gate of Muskingum College . The building has been preserved and currently houses an antique store.

Published Works

• Introductory Hebrew Method and Manual (1886)
• Elements of Hebrew Syntax By an Inductive Method(1888)
• Eight Books Of Caesar's Gallic War (1891)
• Young Folks Library: Leaders of Men or History Told in Biography (Editor-1891)
• 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)

External Links

[Yerkes Obersvatory / William Rainey Harper]