Sanford, Steadman Vincent, 1871-1945

Steadman Vincent Sanford was born in Covington, Georgia on August 24, 1871 to Charles Vincent and Lizzie (Steadman) Sanford. He was a graduate of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, receiving his Bachelor of Arts from that institution in 1890. In 1912-1913, he continued his studies at the University of Berlin, and in the summer of 1913, at Oxford in England. He received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of Georgia in 1914. Dr. Sanford's professional career began at Marietta (GA) Male Academy, where he served as President from 1890 until 1892. This was followed with five years of service (1892-1897) as Principal at Marietta High School, which in turn was followed by six years as Superintendent of Schools in Marietta. In 1903, Dr. Sanford joined the faculty of the University of Georgia as an Instructor in Rhetoric and English Literature. The next decade saw his steady rise through the academic ranks, and in 1913, Dr. Sanford assumed the Chair of the English Department as Full Professor. In 1921, he also assumed the duties as the first head of the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism (a school which Sanford was instrumental in creating) at the University, and this administrative position led to his appointment as Dean of the University in 1927, a position he held until 1932. That year, Sanford became the President of the University of Georgia, a position he would only briefly occupy before being called to serve the state as Chancellor of the State University System in 1935. Independent of his rich academic career, Sanford served as a Captain of a company of Volunteer Infantry in the Spanish-American War, and served on the staff of three Georgia Governors: Brown, Harris, and Slayton. He was a member of the Kappa Alpha social fraternity, a Mason, and a member of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, and he served as President of the Georgia Education Association in 1935. In his tenure as President at the University of Georgia, Dawson Hall and Joe E. Brown Hall were completed (both in 1932), and his leading role in affiliating the University with the Southern Collegiate Athletic Association (which he again helped organize) would lead to the naming of the University's football stadium in his honor in 1929. The conversion from an old Trustees form of governance to a new statewide Regents' System for all the State Colleges and Universities brought Dr. Sanford into sharp conflict with the President of the State College of Agriculture (in Athens), Dr. Andrew Soule. Ultimately, Dr. Sanford's point of view prevailed, giving birth to the modern Regents System in Georgia. During a presentation to the State Board of Regents on September 12, 1945, Chancellor Sanford suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, and he died three days later at the age of 74. He is buried at the City Cemetery in Marietta.

From the description of Steadman V. Sanford papers, 1918-1945. (University of Georgia). WorldCat record id: 692198518

"Steadman Vincent Sanford was born on August 24, 1871, in Covington to Elizabeth Steadman and Charles Vincent Sanford. In 1895 he married Grace McClatchey, with whom he had four children: Shelton Palmer, Grace Devereaux, Charles Steadman, and Homer Reynolds. Sanford received his undergraduate degree from Mercer University in Macon in 1890, and went on to pursue graduate studies at the University of Chicago, the University of Berlin in Germany, and Oxford University in England. He received honorary degrees from UGA (Litt.D., 1914) and Mercer (LL.D., 1932). He spent his early career teaching at Marietta (1890-92) and in educational administration, as principal of Marietta High School (1892-97) and superintendent of the Marietta schools (1897-1903) before taking a position teaching English at UGA in 1903. Sanford's path from English professor to leadership of the state's system of higher education was marked by his remarkably broad interests and impressive personal charm. Among the academic and administrative highlights of his thirty-two-year career at UGA were his founding and leadership of the Henry Grady School of Journalism (later, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication) (1921-27), his deanship (1927-32), and presidency of the university (1932-35). Sanford's role in journalism education led to the establishment of the George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting, one of the university's most widely recognized distinctions." -- "Steadman V. Sanford (1871-1945)" from the New Georgia Encyclopedia, http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2623 & sug=y (Accessed March 19, 2009).

From the description of Steadman Vincent Sanford papers, 1865-1970. (University of Georgia). WorldCat record id: 316802798