Robert White McFarland was born on June 16, 1825 in Champaign County, Ohio. He received an A.B. in 1847 and M.A. in 1850 from Ohio Wesleyan University. From 1853 to 1856, McFarland served on the faculty of Madison College. In 1856 he became Professor of Mathematics at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. During the Civil War, McFarland took leave from Miami to serve in the 86th Ohio Infantry. When Miami closed temporarily in 1873, McFarland was named first Professor of Mathematics, Astronomy, and Civil Engineering at the newly opened Ohio State University. In 1885 he became President Pro Tempore of the reopened Miami University. McFarland's tenure at Miami was brief, stormy but also generally successful. As President, he kept the University on a sound financial footing, promoted greater emphasis on the sciences in the University curriculum, and presided over the admission of the first women to Miami. However McFarland's policies met with opposition from a large proportion of faculty and the Board of Trustees, led by former Miami President Andrew Hepburn. In 1888, the Trustees requested the resignations of President McFarland and the entire faculty. McFarland was not rehired, and he subsequently worked as a civil engineer from 1888 to 1900. He died in Oxford, Ohio on October 23, 1910.
From the guide to the Robert White McFarland Collection, 1884-1888, 1885-1888, (Miami University)
