Henry G. Bennett (December 14, 1886 – December 22, 1951) was a prominent educational figure in Oklahoma. He served as the president of both

Southeastern Oklahoma State University Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Southeastern, SE, or SOSU) is a public university in Durant, Oklahoma. It had an undergraduate enrollment of 4,824 in 2019. History On March 6, 1909, the Second Oklahoma State Legislature approved an ac ...

and

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

. He was appointed by President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

as the first director of the

Point Four Program The Point Four Program was a technical assistance program for "developing countries" announced by United States President Harry S. Truman in his inaugural address on January 20, 1949. It took its name from the fact that it was the fourth foreig ...

, a technical assistance program for developing nations.

Early life and education

Henry Garland Bennett was born in

Nevada County, Arkansas Nevada County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,997, less than half of its peak in 1920. The county seat is Prescott. Nevada County is Arkansas's 63rd cou ...

on December 14, 1886 to Baptist preacher Thomas Jefferson and Mary Elizabeth Bright Bennett. He had three sisters. Although his family moved to Texas before he was one year old, he returned to

Arkadelphia, Arkansas Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,714. The city is the county seat of Clark County. It is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Hender ...

before school age.Norris, p. 129 Bennett attended Ouachita Baptist College and obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1907.

Career

After earning his bachelor's, he accepted a position at a business college in

Texarkana, Arkansas Texarkana is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Miller County, on the southwest border of the state. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 29,387. The city is located across the state line from its twin city ...

. He eventually quit to become a textbook salesman, and in 1906, he moved to

Boswell, Oklahoma Boswell is a town in Choctaw County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 709 at the 2010 census.Choctaw County in 1909 and a superintendent of

Hugo Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on ...

Public schools in 1910.

Southeastern Oklahoma State presidency

He remained as superintendent of Hugo schools until 1919 when he accepted a presidency offer from

. Under his presidency, the university expanded from a campus with one main building to one with four education buildings, a gymnasium, and a library; enrollment also tripled from 1921 to 1928. Later, while working as a visiting summer professor in Durant, Oklahoma, he met his future-wife Vera Pearl Connell, who he married on January 27, 1913; they had five children.

Oklahoma A&M College presidency

Bennett was nominated to serve as president of

Oklahoma A&M College Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

(now Oklahoma State University) on June 1, 1928 and served till his death. When he became president, Bennett inherited a small, academically weak school with an enrollment less than four thousand. He launched a "Twenty-five Year Plan" to transform the institution at the start of his presidency, and by 1951, the school had more than $50 million dollars in renovations and enrollment had burgeoned to more than twelve thousand. Later in 1946, Bennet gained approval to open a technical branch at Okmulgee and increased academic programs at the school to include doctoral degrees. While in office, he continued his education, earning 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 Oklahoma University in 1924 and a PhD from Columbia University in 1928.

Federal appointment and Point Four Program

In November 1950, Bennett was appointed as the first Director of the

, a technical assistance program for developing nations. Bennett is generally credited with the creation of the method of using specialists from American colleges and universities to teach people in other countries on how to improve food production, housing, health, and education with available resources. During his time with the program, he travelled to 33 nations, establishing around 105 projects. The Point Four Program was later subsumed into the newly created

U.S. Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 ...

(USAID).

Death

Bennett died in a plane crash near

Tehran, Iran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most pop ...

while serving on an official visit to discuss U.S. technical aid with Iranian officials. His wife was also with him and was killed in the crash. Bennett was returning to a student event at Oklahoma State University. Secretary of State Dean Acheson spoke at a memorial event in Washington D.C for Bennett. He was interred at Highland Cemetery, Durant, Oklahoma. The Bennett Memorial Chapel at

serves as a memorial to Bennett and his wife, and to the students of Oklahoma A&M College who were killed in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Notes

References

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External links

Truman Library collection of Henry G. Bennett Papers

Henry G. Bennett Memorial Library at Southeastern Oklahoma State University Library

Henry G. Bennett Distinguished Fellows Program
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Henry G. 1886 births 1951 deaths Presidents of Oklahoma State University Ouachita Baptist University alumni Presidents of Southeastern Oklahoma State University United States Assistant Secretaries of State People from Choctaw County, Oklahoma 20th-century American academics