George C. Chase

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George Colby Chase (1844-1919) was the second president of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine and an English scholar.

Chase

Chase was born on March 15, 1844 in Unity, Maine. His parents were Freewill Baptists. At age 18 Chase enrolled at the Maine State Seminary and graduated from the Seminary program in 1864. He then enrolled in the college program at Bates College, graduating in 1868. After graduation he taught at the New Hampton Literary Institute, eventually returning back to teach at Bates in 1870. Chase attended Bates' Cobb Divinity School while teaching, but eventually decided not to pursue a career in ministry. Chase then studied at Harvard University, returning to Bates in 1872 to teach Rhetoric and English.

In the 1880s Chase took on many of the president's fundraising responsibilities, and in 1894 Chase became Bates' second president, when Oren Cheney retired. As president Chase greatly expanded the college campus, student body, and the endowment. Chase served as president until his death in 1919. He died shortly after signing the diplomas for the class of 1919. His house on Frye Street is currently part of College, and Chase Hall is named after him.