Henry Wriston
Encyclopedia
Henry Merritt Wriston was a United States' educator, presidential advisor, and served as president at both Brown University
and Lawrence University
.
, Wyoming
, the son of a Methodist minister and a schoolteacher. He received his B.A. in 1911 from Wesleyan University
and returned there for his M.A. He earned his Ph.D. in political science
from Harvard University
.
He served as the eighth president of Lawrence University from 1925 to 1937. His term was marked by the improvement of the curriculum, faculty, and library collections. Before leaving the school, he wrote the book The Nature of a Liberal College.
He served as President of Brown University between 1937 and 1955. Following a change in the University's charter, he was the first President who was not a Baptist
minister in the 175 years of the college; he was also the first President since Francis Wayland
, who was not an alum.
He served as President of the Council on Foreign Relations
between 1951 and 1964. He also served as President of the American Assembly
until 1963 and served on the Board of Trustees of the World Peace Foundation. In 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower
appointed Wriston to the Chairmanship of the President's Commission on National Goals
. Wriston was also an adviser to President Eisenhower, a member of the United States Department of State
's Advisory Committee on Foreign Service, and Chairman of the Historical Advisory Committee to the Chief of Military History for the United States Department of the Army
.
He is the father of Walter Wriston
, former chairman and CEO of Citibank
.
Wriston died on March 8, 1978 in New York City
, New York
, at the age of 88.
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
and Lawrence University
Lawrence University
Lawrence University is a selective, private liberal arts college with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, in Appleton, Wisconsin. Lawrence University is known for its rigorous academic environment. Founded in 1847, the first classes were held on November 12, 1849...
.
Biography
Henry Merritt Wriston was born in LaramieLaramie, Wyoming
Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, the son of a Methodist minister and a schoolteacher. He received his B.A. in 1911 from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
and returned there for his M.A. He earned his Ph.D. in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
He served as the eighth president of Lawrence University from 1925 to 1937. His term was marked by the improvement of the curriculum, faculty, and library collections. Before leaving the school, he wrote the book The Nature of a Liberal College.
He served as President of Brown University between 1937 and 1955. Following a change in the University's charter, he was the first President who was not a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
minister in the 175 years of the college; he was also the first President since Francis Wayland
Francis Wayland
Francis Wayland , American Baptist educator and economist, was born in New York City, New York. He was president of Brown University and pastor of the First Baptist Church in America in Providence, Rhode Island. In Washington, D.C., Wayland Seminary was established in 1867, primarily to educate...
, who was not an alum.
He served as President of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
between 1951 and 1964. He also served as President of the American Assembly
The American Assembly
The American Assembly, a non-partisan public policy forum, was founded in 1950 by Dwight D. Eisenhower and has become his most enduring achievement and legacy as Columbia University president...
until 1963 and served on the Board of Trustees of the World Peace Foundation. In 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
appointed Wriston to the Chairmanship of the President's Commission on National Goals
Commission on National Goals
The U.S. President’s Commission on National Goals was organized in February 1960 as a non-official body whose purpose was to develop a broad outline of national objectives and programs for the next decade and longer. It operated under the auspices of the American Assembly The U.S. President’s...
. Wriston was also an adviser to President Eisenhower, a member of the United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
's Advisory Committee on Foreign Service, and Chairman of the Historical Advisory Committee to the Chief of Military History for the United States Department of the Army
United States Department of the Army
The Department of the Army is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America. The Department of the Army is the Federal Government agency which the United States Army is organized within, and it is led by the Secretary of the Army who has...
.
He is the father of Walter Wriston
Walter Wriston
Walter Bigelow Wriston was a banker and former chairman and CEO of Citicorp. As chief executive of Citibank / Citicorp from 1967 to 1984, Wriston was widely regarded as the single most influential commercial banker of his time...
, former chairman and CEO of Citibank
Citibank
Citibank, a major international bank, is the consumer banking arm of financial services giant Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, later First National City Bank of New York...
.
Wriston died on March 8, 1978 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, at the age of 88.
Works
- "Academic Procession." New York: New York University Press, 1959.
- "Challenge to Freedom," New York: Harper, 1943.
- "Character in Action." Providence: Brown University Press, 1941.
- "College Students and the War" Washington D.C.: The National Policy Committee, 1940.
- "Cuba and the United States: long range perspectives" Washington: Brookings Institution, 1967.
- "Diplomacy in a Democracy," New York: Harper, 1956.
- "Education for Democracy." Boston: American Unitarian Association, 1940.
- "Executive Agents in American foreign relations." Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1929.
- "How to Achieve the Inevitable." Providence: Brown University Press, 1943.
- "The Nature of a Liberal College," Appleton, Wisconsin: Lawrence College Press, 1937.
- "Policy Perspectives," Providence: Brown University Press, 1964.
- "Prepare for Peace!" New York: Harper, 1941.
- "Strategy of Peace" Boston: World Peace Organization, 1944.
- "Voices of America" Stamford, Connecticut. Overbrook Press, 1953.
- "Washington's Foreign Policy as a Guide for Today." Middletown Connecticut: Press of Pelton & King, 1925.
- "Wriston speaking: A selection of addresses." Providence: Brown University Press, 1957.
External links
- Lawrence University
- Brown University
- Lawrence's Portrait of Henry Merritt Wriston
- Short bio of Wriston from Brown University
- The American Assembly
- A collection of writings and speeches given by Henry Merritt Wriston
- http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/multimedia/video/2008/wallace/wriston_henry.htmlHenry Wriston interviewed by Mike WallaceMike Wallace (journalist)Myron Leon "Mike" Wallace is an American journalist, former game show host, actor and media personality. During his 60+ year career, he has interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers....
on The Mike Wallace Interview August 17, 1958]