George T. Winston
Encyclopedia
George Tayloe Winston was an American
educator and university administrator.
, to Patrick Henry Winston and Martha Elizabeth Byrd, and the brother of Francis D. Winston
. He attended the University of North Carolina
from 1866 to 1868, where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity. He then studied at the United States Naval Academy
from 1868 to 1870, standing at the head of his class of seventy. He could not overcome violent nausea at sea and resigned. In 1870 he went to Cornell University
, where he received a Bachelor's of Literature degree in 1874 and won membership in Phi Beta Kappa. Later honorary degrees included an A.M. from Davidson College
in 1877 and LL.D. degrees from Duke University
, and the University of North Carolina in 1911.
in June 1896. Discussing the influence of universities and public schools on national life and character, he spoke so effectively that the board of regents shortly elected him the university's first regular president. Leslie Waggener had been president ad interim. Winston entered on his work in Texas with the same vigor that he had shown in North Carolina. He made speeches, wrote articles, attended conventions, and labored with all classes of people to make them look upon the university as their own. The curriculum was revised, able instructors were brought to the faculty, the University Record was inaugurated, B. Hall and the Main Building were enlarged, but Winston was unhappy over slowness in improvements and accepted the presidency of the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts
in 1899.
, on August 26, 1932. Winston received many honors, among them the presidency of the Association of Southern Colleges and Secondary Schools in 1895. His publications included numerous reports, addresses, and articles, and one book, Daniel Augustus Tompkins, a Builder of the New South (1920).
Winston Hall on the campus of North Carolina State University
is named in his honor. The building originally housed engineering, but is now a humanities facility.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
educator and university administrator.
Early years
Winston was born at Windsor, North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, to Patrick Henry Winston and Martha Elizabeth Byrd, and the brother of Francis D. Winston
Francis D. Winston
Francis Donnell Winston was a North Carolina politician and judge who served as Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina from 1905 to 1909....
. He attended the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
from 1866 to 1868, where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity. He then studied at the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
from 1868 to 1870, standing at the head of his class of seventy. He could not overcome violent nausea at sea and resigned. In 1870 he went to 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...
, where he received a Bachelor's of Literature degree in 1874 and won membership in Phi Beta Kappa. Later honorary degrees included an A.M. from Davidson College
Davidson College
Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. The college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently ranked in the top ten liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News and World Report magazine, although it has recently dropped to 11th in U.S. News...
in 1877 and LL.D. degrees from Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, and the University of North Carolina in 1911.
University of North Carolina
When the University of North Carolina was reopened after the Civil War, Winston, although only twenty-three years old, was elected adjunct professor of Latin and German. Promoted to professor the next year, he taught Latin and German and served as secretary of the faculty until 1891, when he was elected president of the university at the age of thirty-nine. He went to work with great energy and ability to make the state conscious of the university. He had a difficult task for North Carolina was still miserably poor from the effects of the war, but in five years the university's income was doubled, and its enrollment was almost tripled.University of Texas
Winston was invited to deliver the commencement address at the University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
in June 1896. Discussing the influence of universities and public schools on national life and character, he spoke so effectively that the board of regents shortly elected him the university's first regular president. Leslie Waggener had been president ad interim. Winston entered on his work in Texas with the same vigor that he had shown in North Carolina. He made speeches, wrote articles, attended conventions, and labored with all classes of people to make them look upon the university as their own. The curriculum was revised, able instructors were brought to the faculty, the University Record was inaugurated, B. Hall and the Main Building were enlarged, but Winston was unhappy over slowness in improvements and accepted the presidency of the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
in 1899.
North Carolina State University
He was successful at NC A&M, but poor health led him to accept a Carnegie Pension and retire in 1908. He died in Durham, North CarolinaDurham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
, on August 26, 1932. Winston received many honors, among them the presidency of the Association of Southern Colleges and Secondary Schools in 1895. His publications included numerous reports, addresses, and articles, and one book, Daniel Augustus Tompkins, a Builder of the New South (1920).
Winston Hall on the campus of North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
is named in his honor. The building originally housed engineering, but is now a humanities facility.