Henry Holcombe Tucker (May 10, 1819 – September 9, 1889) was the chancellor of the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

from 1874 until his resignation in 1878. Note that the head of the University was referred to as chancellor instead of president from 1860 until 1932. Tucker was president of

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 ...

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

from 1866 to 1871.

Early life

Tucker was born on May 10, 1819 near

Camak, Georgia Camak is a town in Warren County, Georgia, United States. The town is located just off Interstate 20 between Atlanta and Augusta. The population was 165 at the 2000 census. History The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the place in 1898 as th ...

, the son of Germain Tucker (1794-1821) and his wife Frances Henrietta (''née'' Holcombe). After the early death of Germain Tucker, his widow married a Mr. Hoff and spent many years in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before returning to Georgia. Henry Holcombe Tucker's paternal grandfather, ''Isaiah Tucker'', had been born in

Amherst, Virginia Amherst (formerly Dearborn) is a town in Amherst County, Virginia, Amherst County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,231 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Amherst County, Virginia, Amherst County. Amherst is part of the Lync ...

, and was himself the grandson of Francis Tucker of St. George's,

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

, who had emigrated to, and married in, Virginia. The Tucker's of Bermuda are a prominent family in the

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...

, that date back to the 1616 appointment of Daniel Tucker as

Governor of Bermuda The Governor of Bermuda (fully the ''Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Somers Isles (alias the Islands of Bermuda)'') is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Bermuda. For the purposes of this a ...

, and the family included many other prominent Henry Tuckers. Henry Holcombe Tucker's maternal grandfather was the Reverend Henry Holcombe, D.D. Henry Holcombe Tucker received a B.A. from the

Columbian College , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

at the

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

in 1838. He married Mary C. West in 1848. She died less than a year later. Henry Holcombe Tucker died in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

on September 9, 1889, after falling from a window.

References

''History of the University of Georgia by Thomas Walter Reed; Frontmatter and Chapter I: The Beginnings of the University'', Thomas Walter Reed, Imprint: Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia, ca. 1949
* ttp://www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/t.pdf Kenneth K. Krakow, Georgia Place-names:Their History and Origins, p.232, 3rd Ed., 1975, Winship Press (Macon, Georgia) 1819 births 1889 deaths Presidents of the University of Georgia Presidents of Mercer University People from Warren County, Georgia Columbian College of Arts and Sciences alumni {{UGeorgia-stub