Joseph Swain (June 16, 1857 – May 19, 1927) served as the ninth president of

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

and also as the sixth president of

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...

Summary

Education

* Indiana University (B.L. 1883, M.S. 1885) *

Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts cur ...

(LL.D. 1893)

Career

* Professor of mathematics and biology at Indiana University (1883–1891) * Professor of mathematics at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

(1891–1893) * President of Indiana University (1893-1902) * President of Swarthmore College (1902-1921)

Biography

Joseph Swain was IU's first Indiana-born president. He was born in

Pendleton, Indiana Pendleton is a town in Fall Creek Township, Madison County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,253 at the 2010 census. History Pendleton was platted in 1830, and incorporated as a town in 1854. It was named for town founder Thomas Pendle ...

, to Woolston and Mary A. Swain. Swain attended IU as an undergraduate and graduate student. He matriculated in 1879 and graduated with a B.L. degree in 1883. From 1883-1885, he was an instructor of mathematics and biology at IU while he completed his graduate education and graduated with a M.S. degree in 1885. Starting in 1885, Swain was an associate professor of mathematics until 1886, where he then was professor for five years until 1891. He left his professorship at IU in 1891 to follow departing IU president

David Starr Jordan David Starr Jordan (January 19, 1851 – September 19, 1931) was the founding president of Stanford University, serving from 1891 to 1913. He was an ichthyologist during his research career. Prior to serving as president of Stanford Univer ...

, where he taught as a professor of mathematics. In 1893, Swain received an honorary

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

degree from Wabash College. Swain returned to IU in 1893 to serve as IU's ninth president, succeeding John Coulter. He met Frances M. Morgan, of Knightstown, Indiana, while teaching at IU and they went on to marry on September 22, 1885. Swain accepted the invitation to serve as President for

in 1902 until 1921. He retired from Swarthmore in 1921 as President Emeritus and died six years later from heart disease in

Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania Clifton Heights is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, located on Darby Creek west of downtown Philadelphia. As of the 2010 census the population was 6,652. History The population of the borough was 1,820 in 1890, 3,155 ...

, on May 19, 1927.Alternate Link
via

ProQuest ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...

. He is buried in his hometown of Pendleton in Friends Cemetery.

IU Administration

Swain served as IU's president from 1893 to 1902. During that time, he established Kirkwood Hall in 1894; a gymnasium for men in 1896, which later was named

Assembly Hall An assembly hall is a hall to hold public meetings or meetings of an organization such as a school, church, or deliberative assembly. An example of the last case is the Assembly Hall (Washington, Mississippi) where the general assembly of the st ...

;

Kirkwood Observatory Kirkwood Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Indiana University. It is located in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is named for Daniel Kirkwood (1814–1895) an astronomer and professor of mathematics at India ...

in 1900; and he began construction for Science Hall in 1901. During his presidency, student enrollment increased from 524 to 1,285.

Associations

Swain was the ex-president of the Indiana State Teachers Association, member of the Section on Higher Education of the National Council on Education, member of the World Peace Foundation and served as president of the N.E.A. from 1913-1914.

Tributes

In 1940, Indiana University opened a new physical science building which they called Swain Hall (now known as Swain Hall West). In 1960, The building was expanded by the incorporation of the former Biology Hall, which became Swain Hall East. The entire complex is known as Swain Hall. In 2016, Indiana University renamed the Student Building to the Frances Morgan Swain Student Building to honor his wife Frances for her work in trying to increase women enrollments and make it easier for women to acquire a college education during the 1890s.

References

External links

* * This source claims he made post-graduate studies in Scotland.
Indiana University President's Office records, 1893-1902, Indiana University Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swain, Joseph Wabash College alumni Indiana University alumni Indiana University faculty Stanford University Department of Mathematics faculty Presidents of Swarthmore College 1927 deaths 1857 births People from Pendleton, Indiana Presidents of Indiana University