John Bascom

For the Iowa legislator, see John L. Bascom.
For the surgeon, see John U. Bascom.
John Bascom
John Bascom image
Born May 1, 1827
Genoa, New York
Died October 27, 1911 (aged 84)
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Occupation President, University of Wisconsin, 1874 to 1887
Signature John Bascom signature

John Bascom (May 1, 1827 – October 2, 1911) was an American professor, college president and writer.

Life

He was born on May 1, 1827 in Genoa, New York, and was a graduate of Williams College with the class of 1849. He graduated from the Andover Theological Seminary in 1855.[1] Besides the degrees he got in those places, he held many other scholarly and honorary degrees. He was professor of rhetoric at Williams College from 1855 to 1874, and was president of the University of Wisconsin from 1874 to 1887. He retired in 1903[1] and died in Williamstown, Massachusetts, on October 2, 1911. [2][3]

He was the author of some thirty or forty books. He said in his biography the books cost him more money than he ever received from their publication. But he also included that he was glad to have written them and is only sorry that he could not have been of more service to his fellow men. He greatly influenced Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr. during the latter's time at the University of Wisconsin.

In 1853, John married Abbie Burt, who died shortly thereafter. John then wed Emma Curtiss, to whom he was married for over fifty years. Their three children, Jean, George and Florence, all graduated from the University of Wisconsin.[4]

Bascom Hill and Bascom Hall on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison are both named for him. Bascom House, the home of the Williams College Office of Admissions, is also named for Bascom.[5]

See also

Relatives of note

Books and articles

Many of these are in the public domain and fully viewable at Google Books.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chisholm 1911.
  2. ↑ "Bascom, John 1827 - 1911". Dictionary of Wisconsin History. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Presidents and Chancellors of the University of Wisconsin–Madison". University of Wisconsin. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  4. ↑ Eliot, Samuel Atkins (1911). Biographical history of Massachusetts: biographies and autobiographies of the leading men in the state, Volume 1. Massachusetts Biographical Society.
  5. ↑ "Bascom House". Williams College Facilities. Archived from the original on 2012-09-04. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
Attribution

 Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bascom, John". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: John Bascom
Academic offices
Preceded by
John H. Twombly		 President of the University of Wisconsin
1874-1887 		Succeeded by
Thomas Chamberlin