William Rainey Harper
William Rainey Harper (July 24, 1856 – January 10, 1906) was an American academic leader, an accomplished semiticist, and Baptist clergyman. Harper helped to establish both the University of Chicago and Bradley University and served as the first president of both institutions.
William Rainey Harper
July 24, 1856[1]
New Concord, Ohio, US
January 10, 1906 (aged 49)
Chicago, Illinois, US
Ella Paul Harper
4
Scholar and educational administrator
Early life[edit]
Harper was born on July 24, 1856, in New Concord, Ohio,[Note 1] to parents of Irish-Scottish ancestry.[2]
Very early in his life, Harper displayed skills years ahead of other children of his age, and he was labeled a child prodigy. By the age of eight, Harper began preparing for college-level courses. At the age of ten he enrolled in Muskingum College in his native New Concord, Ohio. At the age of fourteen, he graduated from Muskingum College.[1] In 1872, Harper enrolled in Yale University to begin his postgraduate studies, and he completed his PhD there in 1875.[3] Harper quickly assumed a series of faculty positions, including ones at the Masonic College in Macon, Tennessee, Denison University and Yale University.[4]
Throughout his academic life, Harper wrote numerous textbooks. A strong supporter of lifelong learning, Harper was also involved with the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York, and its academic programs starting in 1883.[5]
Other activities[edit]
While at University of Chicago, Harper chaired a mayoral commission responsible for reorganizing Chicago Public Schools and standardizing the system's curriculum. Harper, being opposed to the employment of women as teachers (which had resulted from the reforms of Horace Mann), moved to block a raise for female teachers and encourage the selective hiring of men. (When female teachers complained about this, Harper replied that they should be glad they earned as much as his wife's maid.) The ensuing dispute contributed to the organizing of the Chicago Teachers Federation, the precursor to the Chicago Teachers Union.[9]
In 1896, Harper assisted Lydia Moss Bradley in founding Bradley Polytechnic Institute in Peoria, Illinois. Now known as Bradley University, Harper served as its first president.[10]
Death and legacy[edit]
Harper died on January 10, 1906, of cancer at age 49. He and his wife are interred at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel on campus at the University of Chicago.[11]
William Rainey Harper College, a community college located in Palatine, Illinois, honors him. He is also the namesake of Harper High School and Harper Avenue in Chicago. An elementary school in Cleveland is named for him as well.[12]