Thomas Van Scoy
Encyclopedia
Thomas Van Scoy was an American minister and educator in Indiana
, Oregon
, and Montana
. A Methodist, he served as the sixth president of Willamette University
and as president of the now defunct Portland University
. He was also president of Montana Wesleyan University and served in the militia at the end of the American Civil War
.
, to William Van Scoy and his wife Mary (née Channel) on February 13, 1848. Thomas was the youngest of fourteen children in the family. Their father was a farmer from what became West Virginia
, while their mother was from Ohio
. In 1855, the family moved to Iowa
where they continued to farm. Van Scoy’s parents and the three youngest children in the family returned to the Indiana farm in 1860 after difficult times in Iowa. In Indiana, Van Scoy received his education in the local schools before joining the militia in 1865 during the American Civil War
. He served one year in Company I of the Indiana Volunteers, posted as a guard in the Shenandoah Valley
.
After leaving the infantry in 1866, he enrolled at a school in Brookston, Indiana
, for a few months and then at the Battle Ground Collegiate Institute. Van Scoy spent two years at the institute and while in school was also a school teacher. He then enrolled at Brookston Academy where he spent one year before entering Northwestern University
in neighboring Illinois
where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta
. Following two-years of study, he left to take the position of principal at Brookston, but resigned there three years later to return to college. In 1875, he graduated from Northwestern (later inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society) and began working as a minister in Rensselaer, Indiana
, for the Methodist Episcopal Church
. On September 22, 1875, he married Jennie E. Thomas. After three years he left to continue his education at the Garrett Biblical Institute in Evanston, Illinois
, where he graduated in 1879.
in Salem, Oregon
, to be chairman of the Greek department and to teach ancient languages. Part of the reason for the move was to attempt to improve the health of his wife, but this was unsuccessful and she died in 1883. After he was hired at Willamette, Charles E. Lambert resigned as president of the institution and Van Scoy was hired as the sixth president of Willamette University in 1880. At Willamette he purchased the former home of the first graduate of the school for use as a school for women in 1880. He purchased the home with his own money and remodeled the home, with the building later moved to the campus and renamed as Lausanne Hall
.
In 1884, Van Scoy was granted a doctor of divinity degree by the University of the Pacific. Van Scoy remarried in 1885 to Jessie Eastham, and they had one son named Paul, while he previously had a daughter named Lena with his first wife. In February 1887, he purchased the desks that were formerly at the Oregon State Capital across the street from the school. Van Scoy resigned from Willamette in June 1891 to become dean at the new Methodist school in Portland
, Portland University
. He also served as president of that school, and due to financial difficulties moved the school to East Portland, though some classes were held in Downtown Portland. The school later closed in 1900 and the campus overlooking the Willamette River
and Swan Island was sold. The campus included West Hall, and was sold to the Catholic Church, eventually becoming the University of Portland
. Van Scoy was the first minister at the Montavilla Methodist Church in Southeast Portland, dedicating a new building on October 19, 1893.
in order to be the new president of Montana Wesleyan University (eventually became part of Rocky Mountain College
) near Helena
. As president he moved the school to the city in 1900. Though he never held political office, he was a supporter of the Republican Party. Thomas Van Scoy died on February 11, 1901, in Helena at the age of 52 and was buried in that city.
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...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, and Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. A Methodist, he served as the sixth president of Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
and as president of the now defunct Portland University
Portland University
Portland University was a private, Methodist post-secondary school in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1891 in a split from Willamette University, the school closed in 1900. The campus was located in what is now the University Park neighborhood and later became home of the University of...
. He was also president of Montana Wesleyan University and served in the militia at the end of the American 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...
.
Early years
Thomas Van Scoy was born in White County, IndianaWhite County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 25,267 people, 9,727 households, and 7,090 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 12,083 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile...
, to William Van Scoy and his wife Mary (née Channel) on February 13, 1848. Thomas was the youngest of fourteen children in the family. Their father was a farmer from what became West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, while their mother was from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. In 1855, the family moved to 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...
where they continued to farm. Van Scoy’s parents and the three youngest children in the family returned to the Indiana farm in 1860 after difficult times in Iowa. In Indiana, Van Scoy received his education in the local schools before joining the militia in 1865 during the American 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 one year in Company I of the Indiana Volunteers, posted as a guard in the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
.
After leaving the infantry in 1866, he enrolled at a school in Brookston, Indiana
Brookston, Indiana
Brookston is a town in Prairie Township, White County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,554 as of the 2010 census.-Geography:Brookston is located at ....
, for a few months and then at the Battle Ground Collegiate Institute. Van Scoy spent two years at the institute and while in school was also a school teacher. He then enrolled at Brookston Academy where he spent one year before entering 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....
in neighboring Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta
Phi Gamma Delta
The international fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta is a collegiate social fraternity with 120 chapters and 18 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1848, and its headquarters are located in Lexington, Kentucky, USA...
. Following two-years of study, he left to take the position of principal at Brookston, but resigned there three years later to return to college. In 1875, he graduated from Northwestern (later inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society) and began working as a minister in Rensselaer, Indiana
Rensselaer, Indiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 5,294 people, 2,158 households, and 1,404 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,824.8 people per square mile . There were 2,296 housing units at an average density of 791.4 per square mile...
, for the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
. On September 22, 1875, he married Jennie E. Thomas. After three years he left to continue his education at the Garrett Biblical Institute in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, where he graduated in 1879.
Oregon
In 1879, he was hired by Willamette UniversityWillamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
, to be chairman of the Greek department and to teach ancient languages. Part of the reason for the move was to attempt to improve the health of his wife, but this was unsuccessful and she died in 1883. After he was hired at Willamette, Charles E. Lambert resigned as president of the institution and Van Scoy was hired as the sixth president of Willamette University in 1880. At Willamette he purchased the former home of the first graduate of the school for use as a school for women in 1880. He purchased the home with his own money and remodeled the home, with the building later moved to the campus and renamed as Lausanne Hall
Lausanne Hall
Lausanne Hall is a college residence hall at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Built in 1920, the red-brick and stone accented structure stands three-stories tall along Winter Street on the western edge of the campus that was originally a residence for women only. The late...
.
In 1884, Van Scoy was granted a doctor of divinity degree by the University of the Pacific. Van Scoy remarried in 1885 to Jessie Eastham, and they had one son named Paul, while he previously had a daughter named Lena with his first wife. In February 1887, he purchased the desks that were formerly at the Oregon State Capital across the street from the school. Van Scoy resigned from Willamette in June 1891 to become dean at the new Methodist school in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Portland University
Portland University
Portland University was a private, Methodist post-secondary school in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1891 in a split from Willamette University, the school closed in 1900. The campus was located in what is now the University Park neighborhood and later became home of the University of...
. He also served as president of that school, and due to financial difficulties moved the school to East Portland, though some classes were held in Downtown Portland. The school later closed in 1900 and the campus overlooking the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
and Swan Island was sold. The campus included West Hall, and was sold to the Catholic Church, eventually becoming the University of Portland
University of Portland
The University of Portland is a private Roman Catholic university located in Portland, Oregon. It is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross and is the sister school of the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1901, UP has a student body of about 3,600 students...
. Van Scoy was the first minister at the Montavilla Methodist Church in Southeast Portland, dedicating a new building on October 19, 1893.
Later years
In 1898, Van Scoy left Oregon for MontanaMontana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
in order to be the new president of Montana Wesleyan University (eventually became part of Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College
Rocky Mountain College , located in Billings, Montana, is a private comprehensive college offering more than 25 liberal arts- and professionally oriented majors. In fall 2009, the college had 894 enrolled students...
) near Helena
Helena, Montana
Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...
. As president he moved the school to the city in 1900. Though he never held political office, he was a supporter of the Republican Party. Thomas Van Scoy died on February 11, 1901, in Helena at the age of 52 and was buried in that city.