Yager, Arthur, 1858-1941.

Born in Henry County, Kentucky in 1858, Arthur Yager received A.B. and A.M. degrees from Georgetown College in 1879 and 1882. He attended Johns Hopkins University from 1882-1884 and was a classmate of Woodrow Wilson. He received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins in 1884 and returned to Georgetown where he taught History, Economics, and Political Science. He remained at Georgetown and served as the college's president from 1908 until 1913, when he resigned after accepting an appointment by President Wilson to the governorship of Puerto Rico. As Governor of Puerto Rico from 1913-1921, Yager initiated reform of the insular government and education system. He was particularly successful in securing the passage of the Jones Act of 1917, which replaced the Foraker Act of 1900, and granted U.S. citizenship and a greater degree of self-rule to Puerto Ricans. After his service as Governor, Yager returned home to Louisville, Kentucky. He ran unsuccessfully for Kentucky's fifth congressional seat in 1928. He died in 1941 in Pewee Valley, Kentucky.

From the description of Arthur Yager Papers, 1913-1921. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 60573194