George R. Throop
Encyclopedia
George R. Throop was the Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis
from 1927 until 1944.
in Indiana and his doctorate from Cornell University
. He was a distinguished student of the classics and began his academic career at Illinois College
in Jacksonville before joining the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis
as an instructor in Latin and Greek in 1907. Ten years later he was named Collier Professor of Greek and, after briefly resigning in 1918 to become assistant librarian of the St. Louis Public Library
, he returned as assistant to the chancellor in 1921, serving both Chancellors Frederic Hall and Herbert Hadley.
Prior to being named chancellor in 1928 he served a year as interim chancellor. Under his leadership, Givens Hall for the School of Architecture was built, the University's Extension Division became University College, and an affiliation with the Central Institute for the Deaf was begun. At the medical school, the Oscar Johnson Institute, the McMillan Hospital Clinics, and the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology all opened.
Throop, although not without his critics on both campuses and admittedly not as gifted an administrator as some of his predecessors, nevertheless guided the University through tough financial times and declining enrollment spurred by the Great Depression
and the looming Second World War, adopting pay cuts and establishing an Alumni Endowment Drive, a massive recruitment drive, and an endowment drive funded by local businesses. Still, the pressures of the times made these efforts less successful than they might have otherwise been. The tireless Throop once described his dedication and work ethic by saying, "The first element of success is work, the second is work, and the third is work."
He resigned the chancellorship in 1944 and died five years later.
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 1927 until 1944.
Biography
George R. Throop ( "troop") was born in Boydsville, Tennessee, in 1882. He received his undergraduate and master's degrees from DePauw UniversityDePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
in Indiana and his doctorate from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. He was a distinguished student of the classics and began his academic career at Illinois College
Illinois College
Illinois College is a private, liberal arts college, affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church , and located in Jacksonville, Illinois. It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree . It was founded in 1829 by the Illinois Band,...
in Jacksonville before joining the faculty at 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...
as an instructor in Latin and Greek in 1907. Ten years later he was named Collier Professor of Greek and, after briefly resigning in 1918 to become assistant librarian of the St. Louis Public Library
St. Louis Public Library
The St. Louis Public Library is a municipal public library system in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It operates sixteen locations, including the main Central Library location. Although similarly named, the St. Louis Public Library is unrelated to the St...
, he returned as assistant to the chancellor in 1921, serving both Chancellors Frederic Hall and Herbert Hadley.
Prior to being named chancellor in 1928 he served a year as interim chancellor. Under his leadership, Givens Hall for the School of Architecture was built, the University's Extension Division became University College, and an affiliation with the Central Institute for the Deaf was begun. At the medical school, the Oscar Johnson Institute, the McMillan Hospital Clinics, and the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology all opened.
Throop, although not without his critics on both campuses and admittedly not as gifted an administrator as some of his predecessors, nevertheless guided the University through tough financial times and declining enrollment spurred by the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and the looming Second World War, adopting pay cuts and establishing an Alumni Endowment Drive, a massive recruitment drive, and an endowment drive funded by local businesses. Still, the pressures of the times made these efforts less successful than they might have otherwise been. The tireless Throop once described his dedication and work ethic by saying, "The first element of success is work, the second is work, and the third is work."
He resigned the chancellorship in 1944 and died five years later.
External links
- Washington University in Saint Louis
- Biographical entry at Washington University in Saint Louis