Jesse Macy
Encyclopedia
Jesse Macy was an American
political scientist and historian
of the late 19th and early 20th century, specializing in the history of American political parties, party systems, and the Civil War
. He spent most of his professional career at his alma mater
, Grinnell College
.
Jesse Macy, the thirteenth of fourteen children, was born to Quaker parents in Indiana
, but the family moved to central Iowa
in 1856 and started farming outside Lynnville
, near the newly-founded town of Grinnell
. At age 17, he entered Iowa College, now Grinnell College. During the Civil War
, he served in the Union army
and he did not graduate until after the war, earning an A.B.
in 1870.
During the 1870s, Macy started what would become a long-term correspondence with James Bryce
, a noted British jurist and politician. In 1884, he completed his Ph.D.
at Johns Hopkins University
. The next year, he returned to the Midwest to take a professorship at Iowa College
. For the next forty-two years, Macy taught history and political science at the college.
In the 1890s, Macy defended radical aspects of the burgeoning social gospel
taught at Iowa College by professor of Applied Christianity George Herron and college president George A. Gates. Macy supported liberal education with in a newspaper article, saying:
He was also a leading author of political science textbooks. Macy's 1896 manual on American civil government, Our Government. How It Grew, What It Does, And How it Does It, was an influential primer for university students and his 1897 The English Constitution: A Commentary on its Nature and Growth was acclaimed for providing the necessary foundation in English law to correctly understand American law.
In his 1904 work Party Organization and Machinery Macy wrote, "While our party system is without Old World models, it is strikingly in harmony with our other forms of political activity...." and "Various references to party and faction found in The Federalist illustrate the type of American ideas which prevailed before the American party system appeared" (pp. xiv-xvi). The work also included a whole chapter entitled "Effect of the City upon the Party System".
In 1911, Grinnell awarded Macy an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.
After retiring in 1912, Macy traveled widely and continued writing until his death in 1919.
In February 2008, Grinnell
's board of trustees voted to name one of the college office buildings "Jesse Macy House" in memory of the long-serving professor. The building, at 1205 Park St., houses a number of interdisciplinary centers, including the Center for Peace Studies and the Rosenfield
Program.
Macy's descendants include SLAC physicist H. Pierre Noyes
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
political scientist and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
of the late 19th and early 20th century, specializing in the history of American political parties, party systems, and 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...
. He spent most of his professional career at his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, Grinnell College
Grinnell College
Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. known for its strong tradition of social activism. It was founded in 1846, when a group of pioneer New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College....
.
Jesse Macy, the thirteenth of fourteen children, was born to Quaker parents in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, but the family moved to central Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
in 1856 and started farming outside Lynnville
Lynnville, Iowa
Lynnville is a city in Jasper County, Iowa, United States. The population was 366 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lynnville is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, near the newly-founded town of Grinnell
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 age 17, he entered Iowa College, now Grinnell College. During 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...
, he served in the Union army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
and he did not graduate until after the war, earning an A.B.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1870.
During the 1870s, Macy started what would become a long-term correspondence with James Bryce
James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce
James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce OM, GCVO, PC, FRS, FBA was a British academic, jurist, historian and Liberal politician.-Background and education:...
, a noted British jurist and politician. In 1884, he completed his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. The next year, he returned to the Midwest to take a professorship at Iowa College
Grinnell College
Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. known for its strong tradition of social activism. It was founded in 1846, when a group of pioneer New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College....
. For the next forty-two years, Macy taught history and political science at the college.
In the 1890s, Macy defended radical aspects of the burgeoning social gospel
Social Gospel
The Social Gospel movement is a Protestant Christian intellectual movement that was most prominent in the early 20th century United States and Canada...
taught at Iowa College by professor of Applied Christianity George Herron and college president George A. Gates. Macy supported liberal education with in a newspaper article, saying:
He was also a leading author of political science textbooks. Macy's 1896 manual on American civil government, Our Government. How It Grew, What It Does, And How it Does It, was an influential primer for university students and his 1897 The English Constitution: A Commentary on its Nature and Growth was acclaimed for providing the necessary foundation in English law to correctly understand American law.
In his 1904 work Party Organization and Machinery Macy wrote, "While our party system is without Old World models, it is strikingly in harmony with our other forms of political activity...." and "Various references to party and faction found in The Federalist illustrate the type of American ideas which prevailed before the American party system appeared" (pp. xiv-xvi). The work also included a whole chapter entitled "Effect of the City upon the Party System".
In 1911, Grinnell awarded Macy an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.
After retiring in 1912, Macy traveled widely and continued writing until his death in 1919.
In February 2008, Grinnell
Grinnell College
Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. known for its strong tradition of social activism. It was founded in 1846, when a group of pioneer New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College....
's board of trustees voted to name one of the college office buildings "Jesse Macy House" in memory of the long-serving professor. The building, at 1205 Park St., houses a number of interdisciplinary centers, including the Center for Peace Studies and the Rosenfield
Joseph Rosenfield
Joseph Frankel Rosenfield was an American lawyer, businessman and philanthropist.Rosenfield graduated from Grinnell College in 1925 and earned a J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1928. He practiced law with a Des Moines law firm until 1947...
Program.
Macy's descendants include SLAC physicist H. Pierre Noyes
H. Pierre Noyes
H. Pierre Noyes is an American nuclear physicist. He has been a member of the faculty at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University since 1962...
.
Publications
- Institutional Beginnings in a Western State (1884), ISBN 1404739084.
- Our Government. How It Grew, What It Does, And How it Does It (1886, 1890). Full text of 1901 edition
- The English Constitution: A Commentary on its Nature and Growth (1897). Full text
- Political Parties in the United States, 1846-1861 (1900, reprinted 1974). Full text
- Party Organization and Machinery (1904). Full text of 1912 edition
- The Anti-Slavery Crusade: a Chronicle of the Gathering Storm (1919). Full text
External links
- Jesse Macy Papers at the Grinnell CollegeGrinnell CollegeGrinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S. known for its strong tradition of social activism. It was founded in 1846, when a group of pioneer New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College....
Archives, including some biographical information