Joseph Cummings (March 3, 1817 – May 7, 1890) was an American academic who served as the 5th president of

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...

from 1857 to 1875, the 5th president of

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

from 1881 to 1890, and the president of

Genesee College Genesee College was founded as the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, in 1831, by the Methodist Episcopal Church. The college was located in Lima, New York, and eventually relocated to Syracuse, becoming Syracuse University. Genesee Wesleyan Seminary ...

(the predecessor of

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

) from 1854 to 1857.Joseph Cummings Papers, Box 1, Folder 1, "Biographical Materials. Northwestern University Archives, Evanston, Illinois

Early life

Joseph Cummings was born on March 3, 1817, in

Falmouth, Maine Falmouth is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 12,444 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is part of the Portland, Maine, Portland–South Portland, Maine, South Portland&ndas ...

, to Reverend Cyrus Cummings, a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister, and his wife Elizabeth. Following in the footsteps of his father, Cummings devoted his early life to education and the promotion of Methodism. He worked to furnish the funds for his attendance at the Maine Wesleyan Seminary in preparation for his matriculation at

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, it is south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settler ...

in 1836. At Wesleyan, he was a member of the Eclectic Society of Phi Nu Theta, a fraternity founded at Wesleyan in part by Clark Titus Hinman, the first President of Northwestern University. After graduating from Wesleyan in 1840, Cummings was called to many teaching positions around New England, including the Amenia Seminary in

Dutchess County, New York Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later orga ...

(1840–1843).

Erastus Otis Haven Erastus Otis Haven (November 1, 1820 – August 2, 1881) was an American academic administrator, serving as president or chancellor of three universities in succession from 1863-1880. He was a bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church from 1880 u ...

, another President of Northwestern University (1869–1872) taught at the Amenia Seminary just three years after Cummings left the seminary. After he finished his time at Amenia, Cummings married Deborah Haskell (1816–1900) in 1843, with whom he adopted two daughters.

College presidencies

In 1854, Cummings was appointed President of Genesee College in

Lima, New York Lima (, the name is a shibboleth) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Livingston County, New York, Livingston County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 4,305 at the 2010 census. The town is in the ...

(now Syracuse University), a position he kept for three years until being called to the presidency of his alma mater, Wesleyan University, in 1857. Cummings taught moral and mental philosophy while at Wesleyan, which allowed him to mix his two greatest preoccupations, teaching and preaching. "Cummings' Wesleyan presidency spanned the Civil War, during which 133 students left Wesleyan to join the Union Army, and several others left to join the Confederate Army. Despite this disruption, Cummings supervised the construction of several buildings, including Rich Library (now the Patricelli '92 Theatre), Memorial Chapel, and Orange Judd Hall. He also enlarged the school's curriculum - particularly in the natural sciences - and oversaw the admission of women, a policy maintained until 1909." Although he stayed on at Wesleyan as a teacher until 1878, Cummings relinquished the presidency of the university in 1875 so he could focus more on his preaching. He took up full-time preaching again in 1878 and continued to travel the country giving sermons until he was asked to become the President of Northwestern University in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...

in 1881.

Northwestern University

Cummings' time at Northwestern (1881–1890) was marked by expansion of the campus, construction of many new buildings, and a greater level of financial solvency than Northwestern had previously known. Cummings was able to increase faculty salaries, pay off Northwestern's debt, and add new buildings to the Evanston campus (e.g. Fayerweather Hall of Science in 1881,

Dearborn Observatory The Dearborn Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on the Evanston, Illinois, Evanston campus of Northwestern University. The observatory was originally constructed in 1888, through an agreement between the university and the Chicago ...

in 1889, and Hatfield House, a dormitory for men, in 1890). He was a noted teacher. Charles Henry Fowler, another President of Northwestern, had been his student at Genesee College, and a number of Northwestern professors—including Robert Cumnock and Herbert Fisk studied with or under him at Wesleyan.Northwestern University Library Exhibit
/ref> During his lifetime, Cummings was widely recognized as a preeminent Methodist scholar and pastor, which is evident from the numerous honorary degrees he received for his good works. He was granted an honorary

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

from Wesleyan University in 1854, another from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1861, and an L.L.D. from Northwestern University in 1866. When Cummings died on May 7, 1890, his funeral was well attended by prominent educators and ministers, and the eulogies given on his behalf were bound. He was survived by his wife, Deborah, who remained a trustee of Northwestern University until her death in 1900, and his two adoptive daughters, Mary (born in 1846) and Alice (1856–1932).

Daniel Bonbright Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew language, Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel (given ...

, Northwestern's

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

professor from 1856 to 1912 and President from 1900 to 1902, married Alice Cummings in 1890, and it was in their house that Joseph Cummings died. Joseph Cummings and his wife Deborah Cummings are buried in

Rosehill Cemetery Rosehill Cemetery (founded 1859) is an American garden cemetery on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, and at , is the largest cemetery in the City of Chicago. According to legend, the name "Rosehill" resulted from a City Clerk's error – the a ...

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cummings, Joseph 1817 births 1890 deaths People from Falmouth, Maine People from Evanston, Illinois Presidents of Northwestern University Presidents of Wesleyan University Harvard Divinity School alumni Wesleyan University alumni Syracuse University faculty American sermon writers 19th-century American Methodist ministers Methodists from Maine Methodist writers Genesee Wesleyan Seminary alumni Burials at Rosehill Cemetery Kents Hill School alumni