Isaac Sharpless, Sc.D., LL.D., L.H.D. (1848–1920) was an American educator, born in

Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially known as Chesco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the De ...

. He graduated from

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 ...

in 1873 and received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from there in 1915. He was employed at

Haverford College Haverford College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducational ...

for many years, becoming professor in 1879, dean in 1884, and president in 1887. In 1884, he was elected as a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. His birthplace, the

Sharpless Homestead The Sharpless Homestead, also known as the Radley Farm, is an historic, American home and farm complex that is located in Birmingham Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. Hist ...

, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Books

* ''Astronomy for Schools and General Readers'' (1882; fifth edition, revised, 1912) * ''English Education in the Elementary and Secondary Schools'', in the "International Education Series" (1892) * ''A Quaker Experiment in Government'' (1898) * ''Two Centuries of Pennsylvania History'' (1900) * ''Quakerism and Politics'' (1905) * ''The Quaker Boy on the Farm and At School (1908) * ''The American College'' (1915)

References

Isaac Sharpless Papers, 1876-1987
(Biographical background; Isaac Sharpless (1848-1920) was the president of Haverford College from 1887) at haverford.edu *
What’s in a Name? An All-Knowing President, an Autograph Collection, and Decorative Rights: The Origins of the Names of Some of Haverford’s Most Famous Buildings By Liz Turrin
at biconews.com

External links

Excerpts from Sharpless’s ''A Quaker Experiment in Government''
1848 births 1920 deaths People from Chester County, Pennsylvania Historians from Pennsylvania Haverford College faculty Harvard University alumni Presidents of Haverford College Members of the American Philosophical Society {{US-historian-stub