John Giraud Agar (June 3, 1856 – September 20, 1935) was a prominent New York lawyer and a leader of the reform political movement.

Early life and education

John G. Agar was born in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

on June 3, 1856 to William Agar and Theresa Price. In 1876, he graduated with a B.A. from the

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

. Followed by a Masters of Arts in 1888 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1889 and a Doctor of Laws in 1910. In 1878, he attended the

Columbia College Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestig ...

and graduated in 1880. On February 28, 1892, he married Agnes Louis Macdonough. Together, they had five children including

Herbert Agar Herbert Sebastian Agar (29 September 1897 – 24 November 1980) was an American journalist and historian, and an editor of the ''Louisville Courier-Journal''. Early life Herbert Sebastian Agar was born September 29, 1897 in New Rochelle, New York ...

, winner of the

Pulitzer Prize for History The Pulitzer Prize for History, administered by Columbia University, is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It has been presented since 1917 for a distinguished book about the history ...

. His son and namesake John G. Agar Jr. died 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 ...

in October 1918 at St. Mihiel, France.

Career

In 1881, Agar was appointed Assistant Attorney for the Southern District New York by

President Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

. He resigned in 1882 to become a senior member of Agar, Ely, and Fulton, a role he held until his death. In 1896, he was named a school commissioner on the New York City Board of Education and is credited for removing education from politics and obtaining better funding for public schools. He resigned as school commissioner in 1899 after faulting

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

for not releasing the funds raised for building and improving schools; removing the requirement for teachers to hold a license; and giving more power to those in politics to choose principals that aligned with their beliefs rather than the best for the job. Due to these defects, Agar declared he could not accomplish anything good for the public school system. After his resignation, Agar proposed to fix these defects by making the Board of Education separate from the political governance of the city; control over finances through a school tax that would fund public schools; and limit the number of school Commissioners to increase their control of funds and responsibilities. From 1906 to 1908, he was a member of the

Municipal Art Society The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) is a non-profit membership organization for preservation in New York City, which aims to encourage thoughtful planning and urban design and inclusive neighborhoods across the city. The organization was ...

(MAS) and president of the

Reform Club The Reform Club is a private members' club on the south side of Pall Mall in central London, England. As with all of London's original gentlemen's clubs, it comprised an all-male membership for decades, but it was one of the first all-male cl ...

. In 1908 and 1909, he was president of MAS followed by service as the third president of the

National Arts Club The National Arts Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and members club on Gramercy Park, Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1898 by Charles DeKay, an art and literary critic of the ''New York Times'' to "stimulate, foster, and promote public ...

from 1910 - 1932. In 1913, Agar delivered a speech at the 8th annual Fifty Books of the Year Exhibition at the National Arts Club, where he announced the founding of the

American Institute of Graphic Arts The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is a professional organization for design. Its members practice all forms of communication design, including graphic design, typography, interaction design, user experience, branding and identity. T ...

. The organization was to promote and encourage those in the graphic arts to exchange views, publish books and periodicals, hold exhibitions and lectures, and promote higher education in the arts. In 1924, he was award the

AIGA Medal Following is a list of AIGA medalists who have been awarded the American Institute of Graphic Arts medal. On its website, AIGA says "The medal of the AIGA, the most distinguished in the field, is awarded to individuals in recognition of their exc ...

. In 1916, he was appointed Knight of the Order of St Gregory by

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

and was a trustee of St. Patrick's Cathedral. And in 1928, he became president of the Arts Council of New York City. In 1926, Agar successfully petitioned the

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by t ...

to raise the requirements for admission to the bar. Agar produced a report with the Committee on Character that described ignorance and unfitness among a large population of the candidates for the bar and recommended that at least two years in college in addition to three years in a recognized law school be required.

Death

Agar died September 20, 1935 in Premium Point,

New Rochelle New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...

, New York and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agar, John 1856 births 1935 deaths AIGA medalists Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) Columbia Law School alumni Georgetown University alumni New York (state) lawyers