Caldwell, John T. (John Tyler), 1911-1995

John T. Caldwell was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi on December 11, 1911. He earned a bachelor of science degree from Mississippi State College (1932), master's degrees from Duke University (1936) and Columbia University (1937) and a doctoral degree in political science from Princeton University (1939) as a Julius Rosenwald Fellow. A political science instructor, Caldwell taught at Holmes Junior College from 1932 to 1936 and Vanderbilt University from 1939 to 1947. He entered the United States Navy as an Ensign in 1942, eventually earning a Bronze Star Medal for his service in Okinawa. During this time, Caldwell was married to Helen Prentice from 1942 to 1945. In 1946, he left the Navy with the rank of Lt. Commander. At Vanderbilt he met Catherine Wadsworth Zeek. They married in May 1947. That same year, Alabama College (now the University of Montevallo) selected Caldwell as their president (1947-1952). He then served as President of the University of Arkansas from 1952 to 1959; Whereupon, he accepted the Chancellorship at North Carolina State College (now North Carolina State University). He remained chancellor from 1959 to 1975. Chancellor Caldwell married Carol Schroeder Erskine in June 1963, two years after the death of his second wife, Catherine Zeek Caldwell. As chancellor, Caldwell oversaw the expansion of North Carolina State from a college to a Class I research university. His reputation as an effective administrator gained both state and national recognition because of his effective handling of volatile issues and events, such as the university's controversial name changes, student protests over civil rights and the Vietnam War. After retiring, Caldwell taught political science and education courses at NCSU until 1985 and was president of the Triangle Universities Center for Advanced Research (1975-1982). In 1976, the university named its most prestigious merit-based scholarships in Caldwell's honor, the John T. Caldwell Merit Scholarships. In 1988, he accepted the interim presidency of the Research Triangle Foundation. A popular orator, Caldwell continually gave speeches for various organizations and causes until his death on October 13, 1995. Caldwell received numerous awards including the Watauga Medal in 1986, the North Carolina Award in 1987, and the UNC Board of Governor's University Award in 1989.

Lieutenant commander, United States Navy; director, Civilian Affairs Department, United States Military Government, Okinawa, 1945-1946.

Biographical/Historical Note

Lieutenant commander, United States Navy; director, Civilian Affairs Department, United States Military Government, Okinawa, 1945-1946.

John Tyler Caldwell was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, on December 11, 1911 . He earned a bachelor of science degree from Mississippi State College ( 1932 ), master's degrees from Duke University ( 1936 ) and Columbia University ( 1937 ), and a doctoral degree in political science from Princeton University ( 1939 ) as a Julius Rosenwald Fellow . A political science instructor, Caldwell taught at Holmes Junior College from 1932 to 1936 and at Vanderbilt University from 1939 to 1947 . He entered the United States Navy as an Ensign in 1942, eventually earning a Bronze Star Medal for his service in Okinawa . During this time, Caldwell was married to Helen Prentice from 1942 to 1945 . In 1946, he left the Navy with the rank of Lt. Commander. At Vanderbilt he met Catherine Wadsworth Zeek . They married in May 1947 . That same year, Alabama College (now the University of Montevallo ) selected Caldwell as their president ( 1947-1952 ). He served as President of the University of Arkansas from 1952 to 1959 . He then accepted the Chancellorship at North Carolina State College (later North Carolina State University ), a position he held from 1959 to 1975 .

Chancellor Caldwell married Carol Schroeder Erskine in June 1963, two years after the death of his second wife, Catherine Zeek Caldwell. As chancellor, Caldwell oversaw the expansion of North Carolina State from a college to a Class I research university. His reputation as an effective administrator gained both state and national recognition because of his effective handling of volatile issues and events, such as the university's controversial name changes and student protests over civil rights and the Vietnam War . After retiring, Caldwell taught political science and education courses at North Carolina State University until 1985, and was president of the Triangle Universities Center for Advanced Research ( 1975-1982 ).

In 1976, NCSU named its most prestigious merit-based scholarships in Caldwell's honor, the John T. Caldwell Merit Scholarships . In 1988, Caldwell accepted the interim presidency of the Research Triangle Foundation . A popular orator, Caldwell continually gave speeches for various organizations and causes. He received numerous awards, including the Watauga Medal in 1986, the North Carolina Award in 1987, and the University of North Carolina Board of Governor's University Award in 1989 .

Caldwell died on October 13, 1995.