Thomas Henry Burrowes

Thomas Henry Burrowes
President of Penn State University
In office 1868–1871
Preceded by	John Fraser
Succeeded by	James Calder
Personal details
Born	(1805-11-16)November 16, 1805 Strasburg, Pennsylvania
Died	February 25, 1871(1871-02-25) (aged 65) State College, Pennsylvania

Thomas Henry Burrowes (November 16, 1805 – February 25, 1871) was the fourth president of Pennsylvania State University, serving from 1868 until 1871. He also served as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1835 until 1839. He also served as the ninth Mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.^[1] He was born in Strasburg, Pennsylvania in 1805 to Thomas Bredin Burrowes and Ann Henrietta Smith.^[2]

In 1868, Burrowes, an individual with much expertise in educational matters for the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, was consulted by the Board of Trustees, who were seeking his advice in their search for a new President. The College had been plagued by financial troubles and was in danger of closing its doors. Burrowes suggested that they first and foremost choose a man who held administrative abilities. Burrowes himself was then offered the position of President of the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania (as Penn State was called at the time), but accepted only after the annual salary was raised from $2000 to $3000 per year.^[3]

A road named in his honor travels through the borough of State College and the University Park campus.

References

Further reading

• Klain, Zora (1947). "Review of Thomas Henry Burrowes, 1805–1871. (Mohr, Robert Landis)" (PDF). The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 250 (1): 167. 

External links

• Thomas Henry Burrowes 1868-1871