''For the character on the US TV series'' The Office'', see Charles Miner.'' Charles Landon Carter Minor (December 3, 1835 – July 13, 1903) was the first president of the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (now known as

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...

), Virginia's new

land-grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

institution. Minor, a native of

Hanover County, Virginia Hanover County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 109,979. Its county seat is Hanover Courthouse. Hanover County is a part of the Greater Richmond Region. History Located in the wester ...

, held a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

and had served as combat and staff officer in the Confederate Army. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Minor served under General

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

and saw action at Manassas and in battles around

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

. Prior to his appointment as president of VAMC he taught at Sewanee Episcopal Seminary in Tennessee. Minor had previously spent a year as president of the Maryland Agricultural College (now the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

) from 1867 to 1868. Minor opened the doors to the new college on October 1, 1872 with three faculty members, not one of them a professor of agriculture or mechanics. By the end of the first week 29 students were enrolled. By the end of the first year 132 students were enrolled, exceeding expectations. During his presidency, Minor petitioned for, and money was appropriated for the expansion of the campus beyond the one building it had at the time, the Preston and Olin building. Minor also established a library during his term. During a faculty meeting, the generally easygoing Minor and hot-headed Gen. James H. Lane, the professor of mathematics and foreign languages with responsibility for military training, got into a fistfight. Both were convicted of disorderly conduct. Ultimately, Minor was removed from office due to the erosion of confidence in his administration. After his dismissal from VAMC, Minor taught at St. Paul's in Baltimore, Maryland., and Episcopal High School in Alexandria, and bought Shenandoah Valley Academy, a military school in

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

. Charles Minor was a descendant of

Colonial Governor of Virginia This is a list of colonial governors of Virginia. Some of those who held the lead role as governor of Virginia never visited the New World and governed through deputies resident in the colony. Others, such as Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, hel ...

Robert Carter I Robert "King" Carter (4 August 1663 – 4 August 1732) was a merchant, planter and powerful politician in colonial Virginia. Born in Lancaster County, Carter eventually became one of the richest men in the Thirteen Colonies. As President of ...

and a great-grandson of Virginia Governor John Page. He married Frances Ansley Cazenove, of Alexandria, Virginia, in 1860. Together they had two children. He died July 13, 1903, in Albemarle County, Virginia., at age 67.

References

Presidents of Virginia Tech Presidents of the University of Maryland, College Park 1835 births 1903 deaths {{US-academic-administrator-stub