Frederic Aldin Hall
Encyclopedia
Frederic Aldin Hall served as chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis
from 1913 until 1923.
, in 1854, the son of a farmer. At the age of 17 he settled on a farm of his own in Illinois but quickly gave up farming to enter college. After a brief stint at the Academy of Olivet College in Michigan, he transferred to Drury College in Springfield, Missouri
, where he developed a love for the classics and began a career that led him to become one of the nation's most distinguished scholars of Greek.
A gifted educator and noted orator, upon graduation from Drury he accepted the position of principal of Drury Academy, a position he held for 13 years. Following a year of study in Germany, he was elected Goodell Professor of Greek at Drury College and was named dean in 1898.
He joined Washington University in St. Louis
in 1901 as Collins Professor of Greek. He helped shape the educational policies of the College and was instrumental in strengthening the Department of Greek. He was appointed dean of the College in 1913, a position he held for just one year before being appointed acting chancellor for Chancellor David Houston
, who was on leave, serving as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. He assumed the full chancellorship in 1917 and served until 1923, three years past the retirement age of 65. He died two years later.
He was by many accounts a fair and kind man, and during his time as chancellor he strengthened the graduate programs and established a business program. In 1922 he established a new School of Graduate Studies and in 1917 a School of Commerce and Finance. He guided the University through the years of World War I
and the phenomenal growth that followed the war. Among his most important recruits was the 1920 hiring of Arthur Holly Compton, a promising young physics professor who would go on to win the Nobel prize
and return years later as Washington University's ninth chancellor.
Later, Chancellor George Throop
of Washington University
wrote of Hall: "It is fortunate for the University that at the time of its greatest period of development it had at its head this kindly, level-headed gentleman, respected and loved both at Washington University and in the City, who guided all so sympathetically and so wisely."
A silver cup given to him from the faculty upon his retirement bears these words: "Beloved teacher, wise counselor, inspiring leader, firm friend during a period of service. Fortunate and fruitful for the University, one of those rare men with the heart to conceive, the understanding to direct and the hand to execute." of Commerce and Finance.
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
from 1913 until 1923.
Biography
Frederic Aldin Hall was born in Brunswick, MaineBrunswick, Maine
Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,278 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, , and the...
, in 1854, the son of a farmer. At the age of 17 he settled on a farm of his own in Illinois but quickly gave up farming to enter college. After a brief stint at the Academy of Olivet College in Michigan, he transferred to Drury College in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
, where he developed a love for the classics and began a career that led him to become one of the nation's most distinguished scholars of Greek.
A gifted educator and noted orator, upon graduation from Drury he accepted the position of principal of Drury Academy, a position he held for 13 years. Following a year of study in Germany, he was elected Goodell Professor of Greek at Drury College and was named dean in 1898.
He joined Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
in 1901 as Collins Professor of Greek. He helped shape the educational policies of the College and was instrumental in strengthening the Department of Greek. He was appointed dean of the College in 1913, a position he held for just one year before being appointed acting chancellor for Chancellor David Houston
David Houston
David Houston may refer to:* David F. Houston, American politician* David Houston , sometime Lord Lieutenant of Sutherland* David Houston , country singer...
, who was on leave, serving as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. He assumed the full chancellorship in 1917 and served until 1923, three years past the retirement age of 65. He died two years later.
He was by many accounts a fair and kind man, and during his time as chancellor he strengthened the graduate programs and established a business program. In 1922 he established a new School of Graduate Studies and in 1917 a School of Commerce and Finance. He guided the University through the years of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the phenomenal growth that followed the war. Among his most important recruits was the 1920 hiring of Arthur Holly Compton, a promising young physics professor who would go on to win the Nobel prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
and return years later as Washington University's ninth chancellor.
Later, Chancellor George Throop
George R. Throop
George R. Throop was the Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis from 1927 until 1944.-Biography:George R. Throop was born in Boydsville, Tennessee, in 1882. He received his undergraduate and master's degrees from DePauw University in Indiana and his doctorate from Cornell University...
of Washington University
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
wrote of Hall: "It is fortunate for the University that at the time of its greatest period of development it had at its head this kindly, level-headed gentleman, respected and loved both at Washington University and in the City, who guided all so sympathetically and so wisely."
A silver cup given to him from the faculty upon his retirement bears these words: "Beloved teacher, wise counselor, inspiring leader, firm friend during a period of service. Fortunate and fruitful for the University, one of those rare men with the heart to conceive, the understanding to direct and the hand to execute." of Commerce and Finance.
External links
- Washington University in St. Louis
- Biographical entry at Washington University in St. Louis