Francis Harvey Green (May 19, 1861 – January 23, 1951) was an American

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

, poet and

lecturer Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...

. He served as Chair of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

at West Chester Normal School for 30 years and as

Headmaster A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the teacher, staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school ...

of the

Pennington School The Pennington School is a private (independent), coeducational college preparatory school for day and boarding students in sixth through twelfth grades, located in Pennington, New Jersey, a small community in the northeastern United States mid ...

. The Francis Harvey Green Elementary School in Bethel Township, Pennsylvania, and two libraries at West Chester University were named in his honor.

Early life and education

Green was born in Booths Corner, Pennsylvania, on May 19, 1861, to Sharpless and Mary Booth Green. Green graduated from West Chester Normal School in 1882. He received a

Masters of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree from

Dickinson University , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = ...

in 1893.

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

honored him with a

Doctor of Literature Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

in 1909 and

Juniata College Juniata College is a private liberal arts college in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1876 as a co-educational school, it was the first college started by members of the Church of the Brethren as a center for vocational learning for those wh ...

with a

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...

in 1931. He did special work in English, especially

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

, at

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

(1860) and

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

(1894–1895). On September 12, 1911, Green married Gertrude Heritage, a chemistry instructor at

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh: ) is a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded as a Quaker institution in 1885, Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister colleges, a group of elite, historically women's colleges in the United St ...

. Heritage co-authored six chemistry papers with

Elmer Peter Kohler Elmer Peter Kohler (November 6, 1865 - May 24, 1938) was an American organic chemist who spent his career on the faculty at Bryn Mawr College and later at Harvard University. At both institutions he was notable for his effectiveness in teaching. ...

Career

He served as the Chair of English at

until 1888 and took a similar position with the West Chester Normal School in 1890. He held the position of Chair of English at West Chester Normal School for 30 years. He resigned in 1920 to become headmaster of the Pennington School in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. He retired in 1943 but continued as headmaster emeritus. He was known as a reformer who lectured frequently on temperance and moral issues and formed the Knights of

Temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire or the County Palatine of Chester, a ceremonial county in the North Wes ...

. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State Teachers Association,

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stude ...

, Transatlantic Society, American Asiatic Association,

Harvard Club Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan cler ...

, and

Dickens Fellowship The Dickens Fellowship was founded in 1902, and is an international association of people from all walks of life who share an interest in the life and works of Victorian era novelist Charles Dickens. The Dickens Fellowship's head office is based ...

. He served as the president 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 ...

in West Chester, Pennsylvania and of the

Chester County Historical Society Chester County History Center (CCHC), formerly the Chester County Historical Society, is a nonprofit historical society, founded in 1893, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and exhibiting the history of Chester County, Pennsylvania, and the s ...

Publications

*''Notes on Rhetoric'' (1909) *''Quotations from Great Authors'' (1919)
''What They Say Day by Day''
(1916) *''What Others Say Each Passing Day'' (1920) *''Desirable Degrees'' (1922)

Death and legacy

Old Library, West Chester University, PA - front view

West Chester University named its library after Green in May 1947. The State of Pennsylvania honored him during Pennsylvania Week, 1949, by naming him Pennsylvania Ambassador, for outstanding achievement in the best tradition of the Commonwealth. Francis Harvey Green School Sign

Bethel township named the first non-single room school in their township after Dr. Green. He was present at the groundbreaking ceremony and spoke of education in Bethel. Green died within a few months and was not able to see the completion and opening of the school. The dedication for Francis Harvey Green School took place on November 9, 1952. The school was demolished in 2010. Francis Harvey and Gertrude Heritage Green Grave

Francis Harvey and Gertrude Heritage Green Grave

Green died on January 23, 1951, and was interred at

Siloam United Methodist Church Siloam United Methodist Church is a Methodist church built in 1852 in Bethel Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located at 3720 Foulk Road. History Siloam United Methodist Church was a branch of the Chester-Bethel C ...

cemetery in Bethel Township, Pennsylvania. A new library dedicated on October 30, 1966, at West Chester University was also named after Green.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Francis Harvey 1861 births 1951 deaths 19th-century American educators 20th-century American educators 20th-century American male writers American temperance activists Dickinson College alumni Juniata College alumni Juniata College faculty People from Delaware County, Pennsylvania West Chester University alumni West Chester University faculty 20th-century American writers