Scott, Austin, 1848-1922

Rutgers College President Austin Scott, Ph.D., LL.D., born Frank Austin Scott on August 10, 1848, in Toledo, Ohio, was educated at Yale University (A.B., 1869) and the University of Michigan (A.M., 1870), after which he went to Germany for graduate training. He studied history at Freidrich Wilhelm University (University of Berlin) and the University of Leipzig, from which he received his Ph.D. in 1873. Scott's professors of ancient history included Theodor Mommsen and Johann Gustav Droysen and he retained his notes from their lectures. After teaching German at the University of Michigan (1873-1875), Scott joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins University, where he assisted George Bancroft in the preparation of the tenth volume of his History of the United States. In 1883, the year after his marriage to Anna Prentiss Stearns, with whom he had seven children, Scott became Voorhees Professor of History, Political Science, Economics, and Constitutional Law at Rutgers College. He held this position from 1883 to 1891 and again from 1906 to 1922.

Scott's service as Rutgers College president, 1891-1906, was marked by concerns about the relationship between the college and the state of New Jersey. During this era, the state refused to make payments to the college as per the Scholarship Act of 1890 because it was dissatisfied with Rutgers's course offerings in agriculture. While Scott was president, Rutgers initiated a distinct agricultural curriculum and the issue was resolved in the college's favor in 1905. Scott also enhanced the classics program and initiated many physical renovations and changes, most notably the construction of the Robert F. Ballantine Gymnasium and the Ralph Voorhees Library.

After his resignation as president, Scott returned to his teaching and became active in civic affairs, serving as mayor of New Brunswick (1912-1914). He was also president of the New Brunswick Historical Club (1905-1922), and was active in the Second Reformed Church of New Brunswick. He died on August 15, 1922.