Harvie Branscomb
Encyclopedia
Bennett Harvie Branscomb (December 25, 1894 – July 23, 1998) served as the fourth chancellor
of Vanderbilt University
from 1946 to 1963.
. He earned a B.A. from Birmingham Southern and an M.A. as a Rhodes Scholar in Bible studies
. After serving in the army, he taught at Southern Methodist University
. He later earned a Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary
and Columbia University
. After working as the Dean of the Divinity School at Duke University
, he became the fourth chancellor of Vanderbilt University in 1945. As chancellor, he oversaw the racial integration of the university, drawing harsh criticism from alumni. In 1960, at the insistence of trustees, he expelled James Lawson, an African-American divinity student and Congress of Racial Equality
leader who organized sit-ins in defiance of Nashville's segregation laws. A dozen faculty members resigned in protest.
In 1947 to 1951 he served as Chairman of the U.S. Advisory Commission for Education Exchange under President Harry S. Truman
. From 1955 to 1958 he served as Commission on Education and International Affairs of the American Council of Education. From 1963 to 1964 he served as an educational consultant for the World Bank
, and he chaired the U.S. Commission for UNESCO
from 1963 to 1965. He also served as Vice-Chairman of the U.S. Delegation to the Unesco General Conference in Paris
in 1964, Chair of the U.S. Delegation to the World Conference on the Eradication of Illiteracy in Tehran
in 1965. He also travelled to Geneva
for the U.S. Delegation to the World Health Organization Assembly in 1965 and 1966, and to Buenos Aires
to chair the U.S. Delegation to the Conference of Ministers of Education and Ministers in Charge of Planning in 1966.
He held honorary degrees from Brandeis University
, Northwestern University
, Southwestern University
, and Hebrew Union College
.
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
from 1946 to 1963.
Biography
Harvie Branscomb was born in Huntsville, AlabamaHuntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
. He earned a B.A. from Birmingham Southern and an M.A. as a Rhodes Scholar in Bible studies
Bible study (Christian)
In Christianity, Bible study is the study of the Bible by ordinary people as a personal religious or spiritual practice. Some denominations may call this devotion or devotional acts; however in other denominations devotion has other meanings...
. After serving in the army, he taught at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
. He later earned a Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. After working as the Dean of the Divinity School at 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...
, he became the fourth chancellor of Vanderbilt University in 1945. As chancellor, he oversaw the racial integration of the university, drawing harsh criticism from alumni. In 1960, at the insistence of trustees, he expelled James Lawson, an African-American divinity student and Congress of Racial Equality
Congress of Racial Equality
The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE was a U.S. civil rights organization that originally played a pivotal role for African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement...
leader who organized sit-ins in defiance of Nashville's segregation laws. A dozen faculty members resigned in protest.
In 1947 to 1951 he served as Chairman of the U.S. Advisory Commission for Education Exchange under President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
. From 1955 to 1958 he served as Commission on Education and International Affairs of the American Council of Education. From 1963 to 1964 he served as an educational consultant for the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, and he chaired the U.S. Commission for UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
from 1963 to 1965. He also served as Vice-Chairman of the U.S. Delegation to the Unesco General Conference in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1964, Chair of the U.S. Delegation to the World Conference on the Eradication of Illiteracy in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
in 1965. He also travelled to Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
for the U.S. Delegation to the World Health Organization Assembly in 1965 and 1966, and to Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
to chair the U.S. Delegation to the Conference of Ministers of Education and Ministers in Charge of Planning in 1966.
He held honorary degrees from Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
, Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, Southwestern University
Southwestern University
Southwestern University is a private, four-year, undergraduate, liberal arts college located in Georgetown, Texas, USA. Founded in 1840, Southwestern is the oldest university in Texas. The school is affiliated with the United Methodist Church although the curriculum is nonsectarian...
, and Hebrew Union College
Hebrew Union College
The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest extant Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism.HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.The Jerusalem...
.
External links
- Biography of Harvie Branscomb at Vanderbilt.edu