John Bascom (May 1, 1827October 2, 1911) was an American professor, college president and writer.

Life

He was born on May 1, 1827 in

Genoa, New York Genoa is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,816 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Genoa in Italy. The town is located in the southwestern corner of the county and is north of Ithaca. Genoa is in the h ...

, and was a graduate of

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kill ...

with the class of 1849. He graduated from the

Andover Theological Seminary Andover Theological Seminary (1807–1965) was a Congregationalist seminary founded in 1807 and originally located in Andover, Massachusetts on the campus of Phillips Academy. From 1908 to 1931, it was located at Harvard University in Cambridge. ...

in 1855. Aside from the degrees he received in those places, he held many other scholarly and honorary degrees. He was professor of rhetoric at Williams College from 1855 to 1874, and was president of the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

from 1874 to 1887. He retired in 1903 and died in

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in the northern part of Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolit ...

, on October 2, 1911. He was the author of some thirty or forty books. He said in his biography the books cost him more money than he ever received from their publication. But he also included that he was glad to have written them and is only sorry that he could not have been of more service to his fellow men. He greatly influenced Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr. during the latter's time at the University of Wisconsin. In 1853, John married Abbie Burt, who died shortly thereafter. John then wed Emma Curtiss, to whom he was married for over fifty years. Their three children, Jean, George and

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

, all graduated from the University of Wisconsin.

Legacy and honors

Bascom Hill Bascom Hill is the iconic main quadrangle that forms the historic core of the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. It is located on the opposite end of State Street from the Wisconsin State Capitol, and is named after John Bascom, former pr ...

and Bascom Hall on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison are both named for him. Bascom House, the home of the

Office of Admissions, is also named for Bascom. During World War II the

Liberty ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Ma ...

was built in

Panama City, Florida Panama City is a city in and the county seat of Bay County, Florida, United States. Located along U.S. Highway 98 (US 98), it is the largest city between Tallahassee and Pensacola. It is the more populated city of the Panama City–Lynn ...

, and named in his honor.

Relatives of note

* Earl W. Bascom, cowboy artist/sculptor, rodeo pioneer, "Father of Modern Rodeo" *

Florence Bascom Florence Bascom (July 14, 1862 – June 18, 1945) was an American pioneer for women as a geologist and educator. Bascom became an anomaly in the 19th century when she earned two bachelor's degrees. Earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1882, and a Bachelo ...

, America's first female geologist *

George Nicholas Bascom George Nicholas Bascom (1837 – February 21, 1862) was a United States Army officer in the Arizona Territory and in the early months of the American Civil War. Biography George N. Bascom was born in Owingsville in Bath County, Kentucky. His ance ...

, army officer of Apache Wars * Henry Bidleman Bascom, Congressional Chaplain 1824-26 * John U. Bascom, American surgeon * Willard Bascom, oceanographer * Bryant Butler Brooks, cowboy, rancher and Governor of Wyoming 1905-1911 * Frederic S. Remington, western artist and sculptor, "Father of Cowboy Sculpture" * Jedediah S. Smith, American explorer, mountain man *

Franchot Tone Stanislaus Pascal Franchot Tone (February 27, 1905 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor, producer, and director of stage, film and television. He was a leading man in the 1930s and early 1940s, and at the height of his career was known ...

, American actor *

Wolfe Tone Theobald Wolfe Tone, posthumously known as Wolfe Tone ( ga, Bhulbh Teón; 20 June 176319 November 1798), was a leading Irish revolutionary figure and one of the founding members in Belfast and Dublin of the United Irishmen, a republican soci ...

, "Father of Irish Republicanism" * S. Dilworth Young, American religious leader

Books and articles

Many of these are in the public domain and fully viewable at

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...

. * ''An Appeal To Young Men On The Use Of Tobacco'' (1850) * ''Philosophy Of Rhetoric'' (1866) * ''The Principles Of Psychology'' (1869) * ''Aesthetics'' (1871) * ''Science, Philosophy And Religion'' (1871)
(1872)
* ''Philosophy Of English Literature'' (1874) * ''Education And The State'' (1877) * ''Comparative Psychology'' (1878) * ''Ethics'' (1879) * ''Natural Theology'' (1880) * ''The Science Of Mind'' (1881) * ''The Lawyer And The Lawyer's Questions'' (1882) * ''Problems In Philosophy ''(1885) * ''Prohibition And Common Sense'' (1885) * ''Sociology'' (1887) * ''The New Theology'' (1891) * ''Address Before The YMCA Of The Mass. Agricultural College'' (1892) * ''An Historical Interpretation Of Philosophy'' (1893) * ''Social Theory'' (1895) * ''Evolution And Religion'' (1897) * ''The Goodness Of God'' (1901) * ''The Remedies Of Trusts'' (1901) * ''The College Tax Exemption'' (1907) *

' (1913) * ''Sermons And Addresses'' (1913)

References

;Attribution

External links

John A. Bascom (President: 1874-1887)
at the University of Wisconsin–Madison * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bascom, John 1827 births 1911 deaths People from Genoa, New York Leaders of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Andover Theological Seminary alumni Williams College alumni Williams College faculty Writers from New York (state) Writers from Wisconsin