Thomas, John Martin, 1869-1952

Dr. John Martin Thomas was born at Fort Covington, New York, on December 27, 1869. He received degrees from Middlebury College, in Vermont (B.A., 1890; A.M., 1893). He studied at Union Theological Seminary and at the University of Marburg in Germany. Upon graduation from Union Theological Seminary, he was ordained a Presbyterian minister and served as pastor for the Arlington Avenue Presbyterian Church at East Orange, New Jersey for fifteen years. He was a member of Chi Psi, Phi Beta Kappa, and the Masonic fraternities as well. Thomas also served as a chaplain in the U.S. Army during the Mexican border conflicts and later served overseas as a lieutenant in World War I. Thomas was elected president of Middlebury College in 1908, where he gained a reputation in educational circles as a dynamic individual who could sway opinion, and act quickly. He came to Penn State as its ninth president in April 1921. He informed the board that he expected to undertake a large-scale expansion of the College to model it after the state universities in the Midwest. These goals were continuously tested and crushed by the lack of funds. His alumni-sponsored drive to raise $1,000,000 then $2,000,000 for health and welfare buildings for the college never met their goals. He did create a graduate school in 1922, despite the fact that he did not manage to change the name of Penn State College to "university." He was convinced that a state university must have a strong and diverse line of graduate offerings. It would enable the College to present a united front in the search for more money to support research. In 1924 he selected Dr. Gerald R. Wendt, a nationally renowned research chemist, to be the new dean of the School of Chemistry and Physics, formerly the School of Natural Science. Thomas also hired Will Grant Chambers to be the dean of the new School of Education, believing that as the capstone of Pennsylvania's public schools, Penn State had a special obligation to improve the quality of teaching at all levels. Frustrated by the bleak financial outlook for his institution and disheartened by the unfavorable reception given to his plans for a state university, John Thomas submitted a letter of resignation at the board of trustees meeting on June 13, 1925, announcing in that letter that he had accepted the presidency of Rutgers University. He left Rutgers after five years and was president of Vermont's Norwich University from 1938 to 1944. Thomas died in 1952.

From the description of John Martin Thomas addresses and speeches, 1921-1924. (Pennsylvania State University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 468817244

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