John Lloyd Newcomb (December 18, 1881 – February 22, 1954) was an American educator. He served as the second president of the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

, ascending to the position after the death of Edwin Alderman. Newcomb, a member of the engineering faculty of the university, oversaw the university through the Depression and the

Second World War 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 opposin ...

and managed its physical expansion, including the building of

Scott Stadium Scott Stadium is a stadium located in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is the home of the Virginia Cavaliers football team. It sits on the University of Virginia's Grounds, east of Hereford College and first-year dorms on Alderman Road but west of B ...

, the Bayly Art Museum, and Alderman Library.

Biography

Born December 18, 1881, in Sassafras,

Gloucester County, Virginia Gloucester County () is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,711. Its county seat is Gloucester Courthouse. The county was founded in 1651 in the Virginia Colony and is named for Henry Stuart, ...

, Newcomb received his B.A. from the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

in 1900 and subsequently took a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia in 1903. While a student and after receiving his civil engineering degree he worked as a computer in the engineering office of the Rapid Transit Subway Construction Company in New York and as an engineer for the Norfolk and Southern Railway. Newcomb was appointed an adjunct professor of civil engineering in 1905 by the Board of Visitors of UVA. He became Edwin Alderman's assistant in 1926Dabney, 131-132. and succeeded Alderman after the first UVA president died of complications from a stroke. He was confirmed in the position after nearly two years as acting president, despite his lack of national renown. While president of the university, Newcomb received honorary degrees from

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexingto ...

(doctor of science, 1933) and from his alma mater, the College of William and Mary (LL.D. 1935). He died on February 22, 1954. After his death, Newcomb was revealed to be a member of the

Seven Society The Seven Society (founded 1905) is the most secretive of the University of Virginia, University of Virginia's Secret societies at the University of Virginia, secret societies. Members are only revealed after their death, when a wreath of black ...

, the UVA

secret society A secret society is a club or an organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence a ...

known for its gifts to and support of the university community. In 1958 the Seven Society donated $17,777.77 to establish a loan fund for faculty and students in Newcomb's honor. An engineering professorship, the John Lloyd Newcomb Professor of Material Science and Engineering Physics, is endowed in Newcomb's memory, and the student union building at Virginia, Newcomb Hall, is named after him.

Academic career

*1905-1925 – Professor of Civil Engineering,

(

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

) *1925-1931 – Dean of Engineering,

*1926-1931 – Assistant to the President,

*1931-1933 – Acting President,

*1933-1947 – President of the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newcomb, John Lloyd University of Virginia faculty College of William & Mary alumni Presidents of the University of Virginia 1881 births 1954 deaths Burials at the University of Virginia Cemetery