John Henry MacCracken
MacCracken in 1915 at the start of his term at Lafayette
President of Lafayette College
In office
1915–1927
President of Westminster College
In office
1899–1903
Personal details
Born(1875-09-30)September 30, 1875
Rochester, Vermont, U.S.
DiedFebruary 1, 1948(1948-02-01) (aged 72)
New York City, U.S.
Spouse
Edith Constable
​
(m. 1910)​
Parent
RelativesHenry Noble MacCracken (brother)
EducationUnion Theological Seminary
Alma materNew York University
Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (PhD)

John Henry MacCracken (September 30, 1875 – February 1, 1948) was an American academic administrator who served as president of Westminster College and Lafayette College. When he was chosen as president of Westminster College in 1899, MacCracken was the youngest college president in the United States. MacCracken was the son of Henry MacCracken, a chancellor of New York University, and the brother of Henry Noble MacCracken, a president of Vassar College.

Early life

MacCracken was born in Rochester, Vermont,[1] to Henry MacCracken, a chancellor of New York University (NYU), and the former Catherine Almira Hubbard. He was a descendant of Irish immigrants to Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century.[2] His brother Henry Noble MacCracken became president of Vassar College.[3] John Henry MacCracken attended college preparatory school in New York City.[2]

When he was 15, MacCracken enrolled at NYU and he completed an undergraduate degree in 1894, when he was named class valedictorian. He pursued graduate study at NYU and the Union Theological Seminary before earning a Ph.D. at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg in Germany.[4]

Career

John Henry MacCracken, c. 1899

He joined the NYU faculty in 1896 and was promoted to assistant professor shortly before accepting the role of president at Westminster College in 1899.[4] At the time of his election to the presidency at Westminster College, an NYU source said that the appointment would make him the youngest college president in the United States.[5]

When MacCracken came to Westminster, his age raised alarm among some of the supporters of the university, and his modest personality and quiet nature did not immediately assuage his doubters. Within a few months, MacCracken secured $20,000 in donations for the university, and he was able to increase the variety of academic offerings at the school. When the university's chair of Bible and metaphysics resigned, President MacCracken was named the Sauser Chair of Philosophy and Christian Apologetics. A formal presidential inauguration was held for MacCracken in June 1900.[6]

MacCracken left Westminster College in 1903 to return to NYU as a syndic and professor of politics. He taught one of the earliest courses in city planning in the United States, and he served as vice president of the university senate.[2] In 1914, MacCracken was vice president of the trustees of the American Institute of Christian Philosophy. His father was president.[7]

In 1915, MacCracken was selected as president of Lafayette College.[2] The school's physical plant increased in value under MacCracken, who served until 1927.[8]

During his time as president of Lafayette College, MacCracken was one of the founding advisors during the creation of Alpha Phi Omega, the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States.

Personal

MacCracken married Edith Constable in 1910. MacCracken's father-in-law, Frederick Augustus Constable, managed Arnold Constable & Company in New York, and he was the son of one of the store's original partners.[9] MacCracken's daughter Louise married Robert Olmsted, a trustee of Vassar College and the namesake of the school's biological sciences building.[10] His son Constable was a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Law School.[11]

Active in the Presbyterian faith, MacCracken spent nearly ten years as president of the Presbyterian college board.[2] He represented the church as a delegate at world conferences in Lausanne, Oxford and Edinburgh.[12]

Death

MacCracken died at his Manhattan home on February 1, 1948. He was survived by his wife, daughter, son and brother.[12]

References

  1. ↑ General Alumni Catalogue: College, applied science, and honorary alumni, 1833-1905. New York University. 1906. p. 119. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. J.T. White. 1916. pp. 205–206. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Lafayette's new head; Prof. J.H. MacCracken, son of ex-chancellor of N.Y.U., is chosen". The New York Times. December 15, 1914. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Among the faculty". The American Educational Review. January 1914. p. 181. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Mr. MacCracken honored". The Triangle. New York University. April 26, 1899. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  6. ↑ Fisher, Michael Montgomery (1903). History of Westminster College, 1851-1903: From 1851 to 1887. Press of E. W. Stephens. pp. 340–342. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  7. ↑ MacCracken, Henry Mitchell (1914). A Propaganda of Philosophy: History of the American Institute of Christian Philosophy, 1881-1914. Fleming H. Revell Company. p. 29. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Presidents of Lafayette". Lafayette College. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  9. ↑ "The Collection Online: Suit". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Bio hall new part of Olmsted family". The Miscellany News. December 7, 1973. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  11. ↑ Weiss, Anne (May 2, 1949). "Graduates of Vassar are brides-elect of Eastern men". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  12. 1 2 "Dr. MacCracken, educator, layman". Brooklyn Eagle. February 2, 1948. p. 7. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
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