Ralph Cooper Hutchison
Ph.D, D.D.
7th President of Jefferson College
In office
1931–1945
President of Lafayette College
In office
1945–1957
Personal details
BornFebruary 27, 1898
Colorado
DiedMarch 15, 1966(1966-03-15) (aged 68)
Bryn Mawr Hospital
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
EducationLafayette College
Harvard University
University of Pennsylvania
Princeton Theological Seminary

Ralph Cooper Hutchison (February 27, 1898 – March 15, 1966) was president of Washington & Jefferson College and Lafayette College.[1]

Personal

Hutchison was a naval air cadet in WWI.[2]

Hutchison was born in Colorado on February 27, 1898.[3] He attended Lafayette College, graduating in 1918.[3] He served in the United States Naval Aviation Corps from May to November 1918.[3] In 1919, following his service, Hutchison earned a master's degree from Harvard University.[3] He attended Princeton Theological Seminary and was ordained as a preacher in the Presbyterian Church on April 21, 1922.[3] He earned a PhD degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1925.[3] In 1930, Lafayette College conferred the Doctor of Divinity degree on Dr. Hutchison.[3] He also worked for the Presbyterian Board of Christian Education and was a missionary in Persia.[4] He served as Dean of the American University at Teheran, Iran, which he grew from a small high school to an institution of over 800.[3][4] He returned to the United States when his wife contracted an "Asiatic malady."[4]

Presidency of Washington & Jefferson

Following the resignation of President Baker, Hutchison was unanimously elected the seventh president of Washington & Jefferson College on November 13, 1931; he was inaugurated on April 2, 1932, making him at 34 years old one of the youngest college presidents in the county.[3][4] Following the contentious tenure of President Baker, Time Magazine noted that Hutchison "pleased nearly everyone."[4] Hutchison, in his inaugural address, spoke out against the "false, materialistic doctrine" of going to college "because it pays."[4] Instead, he encouraged students to appreciate the oldtime college education, which was "inviting only to those who did not set profit or wealth as their main objectives in life."[4]

In an effort to strengthen the college's science department, Hutchison extended and expanded the southern portion of the campus, between East Wheeling and East Maiden Street.[3] This included the construction of the Jesse W. Lazear Chemistry Building and the final absorption of The Seminary.[3] The main seminary building was purchased, renovated, and re-dedicated as McIlvaine Hall.[3] The John L. Stewart Memorial bell tower was added to McIlvaine Hall.[3] The Reed residence on Maiden Street was purchased for use as a dormitory.[3] The old Seminary dormitory facing East Maiden Street was razed to make more open space.[3] Finally, the campus was re-oriented so the main entrance faced East Maiden Street, to allow tourists on U.S. Route 40 to see the college. The expanded campus was dedicated on October 26, 1940.[3] In 1943, Hutchison was appointed Director of Civilian Defense for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a cabinet-level position, by Governor Edward Martin for the duration of the war.[3] He also served as director of the Pennsylvania United War Fund Program.[3] President Hutchison resigned May 7, 1945.[3]

Presidency of Lafayette College

Hutchison served as president of Lafayette College, his alma mater from 1945 to 1957.[5]

President of Lafayette College since 1945, Hutchison had conferred an honorary degree on Eisenhower after World War II and maintained a friendship with the General (Galambos, Chief of Staff, nos. 722, 1179). In 1949 Eisenhower had recommended him as a civilian member of the U.S. Air Force Academy planning board (Galambos, Columbia University, no. 322). He had visited Eisenhower the morning of February 26.[6]

Death

At the time of his death on March 15, 1966, he was president and executive director of Studies in Higher Education, a Philadelphia-based colleges and universities research firm.[1][3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Ralph Hutchison, Educator, was 68. Ex-head of Washington and Jefferson and Lafayette Dies". New York Times. March 16, 1966. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Ralph Cooper Hutchison". David Bishop Skillman Library, Department of Special Collections & College Archives, Lafayette College. 1918–1919.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 "Ralph Cooper Hutchison (1931–1945)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. September 4, 2003.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "W. & J.'s Hutchison". Time Magazine. Time Inc. April 11, 1932. Archived from the original on October 27, 2010.
  5. ↑ Gendebein, Albert W. (1986). The Biography of a College: Being the History of the Third Half-Century of Lafayette College. Easton, Pennsylvania: Lafayette College. p. 643. ISBN 99964-823-2-4.
  6. ↑ Dwight Eisenhower papers Archived November 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
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