George Frederick Magoun
Encyclopedia
George Frederick Magoun (1821 – January 30, 1896), a member of the Iowa Band
of Congregationalist ministers, was the first president of Iowa College (now Grinnell College), where he served as college president from 1865 to 1885.
George Magoun was born in Bath, Maine
in 1821, where he attended Bath Academy before entering Bowdoin College
. He graduated from Bowdoin in 1841. After Bowdoin, he taught at schools in Galena, Illinois
and Platteville, Wisconsin
from 1844-1846. Magoun continued his studies at Andover Seminary and completed his divinity degree in 1847.
Now an ordained Congregationalist minister, Magoun and other members of the Iowa Band
moved to the Midwest to establish congregations. Magoun led congregations in Davenport, Iowa
and Lyons, Iowa, also studying law in Burlington, Iowa
. He became a founding trustee of Iowa College, then located in Davenport. In 1854 and 1855, as the town's relations with the college worsened, Magoun and other trustees pushed to move to the new town of Grinnell, Iowa
. At the end of the Civil War
in 1865, Magoun was inaugurated as the college's first president.
Magoun was a liberal president, permitting the teaching of evolution
despite his personal disagreement with Darwin
's work. As the first college president, he attempted to realize his vision for a college in the West:
In 1870, George Magoun married Elizabeth Earle, an 1860 graduate of Mount Holyoke Seminary who taught at Mount Holyoke from 1860 to 1867. In Grinnell, Elizabeth Earle Magoun was one of the founders of the town's oldest women's club, the "Busy Woman's Club", founded in 1870 and renamed in honor of Mrs. Magoun in 1896.
During Magoun's tenure as president, the college grew significantly; in 1882, there were two buildings and nearly 400 students. Despite a cyclone
that year that destroyed the campus and killed two students, by the time of Magoun's 1884 retirement, three new buildings had been built.
George Magoun was succeeded by George A. Gates in 1887; Professor of Mathematics
and Natural Philosophy
Samuel J. Buck served as interim president from 1884 to 1887.
After his retirement as college president, Magoun took a professorship in Mental and Moral Science at Iowa College, teaching from 1884 to 1890.
Chicago Hall, on the Grinnell College campus, was renamed Magoun Hall in memory of President Magoun. Magoun Hall, which stood near the present buildings of the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts
and Burling Library, was demolished in 1959.
Iowa Band
The Iowa Band was a home missionary initiative that worked at northwest frontier in the nineteenth century.-History:The Iowa Band started as a group of 12 Christian ministers, all trained at Andover Theological Seminary, who agreed to carry the gospel into a frontier region...
of Congregationalist ministers, was the first president of Iowa College (now Grinnell College), where he served as college president from 1865 to 1885.
George Magoun was born in Bath, Maine
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
in 1821, where he attended Bath Academy before entering Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
. He graduated from Bowdoin in 1841. After Bowdoin, he taught at schools in Galena, Illinois
Galena, Illinois
Galena is the county seat of, and largest city in, Jo Daviess County, Illinois in the United States, with a population of 3,429 in 2010. The city is a popular tourist destination known for its history, historical architecture, and ski and golf resorts. Galena was the residence of Ulysses S...
and Platteville, Wisconsin
Platteville, Wisconsin
Platteville is the largest city in Grant County in southwestern Wisconsin. The population was 11,224 at the 2010 census, growing 12% since the 2000 Census. Much of this growth is likely due to the enrollment increase of the University of Wisconsin–Platteville...
from 1844-1846. Magoun continued his studies at Andover Seminary and completed his divinity degree in 1847.
Now an ordained Congregationalist minister, Magoun and other members of the Iowa Band
Iowa Band
The Iowa Band was a home missionary initiative that worked at northwest frontier in the nineteenth century.-History:The Iowa Band started as a group of 12 Christian ministers, all trained at Andover Theological Seminary, who agreed to carry the gospel into a frontier region...
moved to the Midwest to establish congregations. Magoun led congregations in Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
and Lyons, Iowa, also studying law in Burlington, Iowa
Burlington, Iowa
Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,663 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in the 2000 census. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area including West Burlington, Iowa and Middletown, Iowa and...
. He became a founding trustee of Iowa College, then located in Davenport. In 1854 and 1855, as the town's relations with the college worsened, Magoun and other trustees pushed to move to the new town of Grinnell, Iowa
Grinnell, Iowa
Grinnell is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,218 at the 2010 census. Grinnell was named after Josiah Bushnell Grinnell and is the home of Grinnell College.- History :...
. At the end of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in 1865, Magoun was inaugurated as the college's first president.
Magoun was a liberal president, permitting the teaching of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
despite his personal disagreement with Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
's work. As the first college president, he attempted to realize his vision for a college in the West:
The best cure for 'prairie-mindedness' is found in that spiritual-mindedness which
creates scholars because it requires a knowledge of the deep things of our own nature
and of God... A College prompts to great moral enterprise, nay it is itself a great moral
enterprise.
In 1870, George Magoun married Elizabeth Earle, an 1860 graduate of Mount Holyoke Seminary who taught at Mount Holyoke from 1860 to 1867. In Grinnell, Elizabeth Earle Magoun was one of the founders of the town's oldest women's club, the "Busy Woman's Club", founded in 1870 and renamed in honor of Mrs. Magoun in 1896.
During Magoun's tenure as president, the college grew significantly; in 1882, there were two buildings and nearly 400 students. Despite a cyclone
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
that year that destroyed the campus and killed two students, by the time of Magoun's 1884 retirement, three new buildings had been built.
George Magoun was succeeded by George A. Gates in 1887; Professor of Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and Natural Philosophy
Natural philosophy
Natural philosophy or the philosophy of nature , is a term applied to the study of nature and the physical universe that was dominant before the development of modern science...
Samuel J. Buck served as interim president from 1884 to 1887.
After his retirement as college president, Magoun took a professorship in Mental and Moral Science at Iowa College, teaching from 1884 to 1890.
Chicago Hall, on the Grinnell College campus, was renamed Magoun Hall in memory of President Magoun. Magoun Hall, which stood near the present buildings of the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts
Bucksbaum Center for the Arts
The Bucksbaum Center for the Arts is part of Grinnell College, located in Grinnell, Iowa. The center was completed in May 1999, and actually contains the old Fine Arts complex...
and Burling Library, was demolished in 1959.