Elmer Ellsworth Brown (1861–1934) was an American educator.

Biography

Born at Kiantone in

Chautauqua County, New York Chautauqua County is the westernmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the population was 127,657. Its county seat is Mayville, New York, Mayville, an ...

, Elmer Ellsworth Brown studied at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

(NYU), graduated from

Illinois State Normal University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

in 1881 and at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

(A.B., 1889); then he studied in Germany and received a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

from the

University of Halle Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg (german: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg), also referred to as MLU, is a public, research-oriented university in the cities of Halle and Wittenberg and the largest and oldest university i ...

in 1890. He married Fanny Fosten Eddy on June 29, 1889. He was principal of public schools in

Belvidere, Illinois Belvidere is a city in Boone County, settled on the Kishwaukee River in far northern Illinois, United States. Known as the 'City of Murals', Belvidere is home to several public art installations throughout the North and South State Street histo ...

, in 1881-84, assistant state secretary of the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

(1884–87), and principal of the high school at

Jackson, Michigan Jackson is the only city and county seat of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534, down from 36,316 at the 2000 census. Located along Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127, it is approxi ...

, in 1890–91. He taught education at the University of Michigan (1891–93) and at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

(1893–1906). After directing the reorganization of the

United States Bureau of Education The Office of Education, at times known as the Department of Education and the Bureau of Education, was a small unit in the Federal Government of the United States within the U.S. Department of the Interior from 1867 to 1972. It is now separated ...

U.S. Commissioner of Education The Commissioner of Education was the title given to the head of the federal Office of Education, which was historically a unit within and originally assigned to the Department of the Interior in the United States. The position was created on March ...

(1906–11), he became chancellor of New York University, where he founded

NYU Press New York University Press (or NYU Press) is a university press that is part of New York University. History NYU Press was founded in 1916 by the then chancellor of NYU, Elmer Ellsworth Brown. Directors * Arthur Huntington Nason, 1916–19 ...

in 1916 "to publish contributions to higher learning by eminent scholars." He was made fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

and vice president of the education section in 1907. He led

the Andiron Club ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

from 1916 to 1922 and was associated with the

Eucleian Society The Eucleian Society was a student literary society begun at New York University in 1832. According to New York University records, it ceased to exist around the 1940s. The society was dedicated to furthering the literary arts. Members held hour ...

. Brown retired from NYU in 1933 and died in 1934 in New York.

Works

His works include: *''The Making of Our Middle Schools'' (1903). *''The Origin of American State Universities'' (1905). *''Government by Influences, and Other Addresses'' (1909). *''An Efficient Organization and Enlarged Scope for the Bureau of Education'' (1910). *''A Few Remarks (1933).

Notes

Sources

* * *

External links

*
NYU University Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Elmer Ellsworth 1861 births 1934 deaths Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Illinois State University alumni New York University alumni People from Chautauqua County, New York Presidents of New York University United States Bureau of Education people University of California, Berkeley faculty University of Halle alumni University of Michigan alumni University of Michigan faculty