Lemuel Moss (December 27, 1829 – July 13, 1904) served as the sixth 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 ...
, being the last of a long line of six "Preacher Presidents."
[Clark, T. D. (1970). Indiana University: Midwestern Pioneer / Volume 1: The Early Years. Bloomington, IN : Indiana University.]
Early life
Lemuel Moss was born in
Bullittsville, Kentucky
Bullittsville is an unincorporated community in Boone County, Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It bor ...
, on December 27, 1829, to Demas and Esther Moss. After the first four years of his childhood, his family moved to
Dearborn County, Indiana
Dearborn County is one of 92 counties of the U.S. state of Indiana located on the Ohio border near the southeast corner of the state. It was formed in 1803 from a portion of Hamilton County, Ohio. In 2020, the population was 50,679. The county ...
. Moss worked mainly as a
printer
Printer may refer to:
Technology
* Printer (publishing), a person or a company
* Printer (computing), a hardware device
* Optical printer for motion picture films
People
* Nariman Printer (fl. c. 1940), Indian journalist and activist
* James ...
in
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
, until 1853.
[Myers, B. D. (1951). Trustees and Officers of Indiana University: 1820 to 1950. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University.] He received his B.A. from the
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees.
The University of Roc ...
in 1858, then a degree from
Rochester Theological Seminary in 1860. Moss served as the pastor of the First Baptist Church of
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
, from 1860 to 1864 and of a church in
Woodbury, New Jersey
Woodbury is the county seat of Gloucester County, New Jersey, Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the South Jersey region of the state. , from 1864 to 1866. In 1864 and 1865, he served as the secretary of the U.S. Christian Committee.
Academic career
Moss began his career in academia in 1865, becoming professor of theology at the University of Lewisburg (now
Bucknell University
Bucknell University is a private liberal arts college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 as the University at Lewisburg, it now consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering. ...
). He served 1868, the same year he received his
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 the University of Rochester.
Between 1868 and 1872, Moss served as editor of the ''National Baptist'' as well as professor of
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
interpretation at the
Crozer Theological Seminary
The Crozer Theological Seminary was a Baptist seminary located in Upland, Pennsylvania.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a student at Crozer Theological Seminary from 1948 to 1951, and graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity degree.
In 1970, the semina ...
in
Upland, Pennsylvania
Upland is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Upland is governed by an elected seven-member borough council. The population was 3,239 at the 2010 census, up from 2,974 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Upland is located in so ...
.
In 1874, Moss became president of the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
. He left the next year to become 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 ...
. While on the job, he received his
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 ...
from the University of Rochester in 1883. He remained there until 1884, when a scandal broke with a female professor that brought him to resign his post. After a few years away from academia, he returned as lecturer of Christian Sociology at Bucknell University, where he remained until his death on July 12, 1904.
Presidency
Upon President
Cyrus Nutt
Cyrus Nutt (September 4, 1814 – August 24, 1875) served as the fifth president of Indiana University.
Biography
Cyrus Nutt was born in Southington Township, Trumbull County, Ohio on September 4, 1814. His father was James Nutt and his mothe ...
's death in August 1875, Lemuel Moss was elected 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 ...
. During his first year as president, he made a strong impression upon the students and faculty at the university, viewed as a strong teacher and extremely adept at public speaking. Moss was also unyielding in his power and a firm disciplinarian, who was sometimes viewed as arrogant.
[Woodburn, J. A. (1940). History of Indiana University 1820–1902. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University.] However, giving his unusual prowess as a platform speaker, Moss accumulated several outstanding achievements during his time at
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 ...
.
President Moss was a member of the National Council of Education (1880–1884), vice president of the
American Baptist Missionary Union
International Ministries is an international Baptist Christian missionary society. It is a constituent board affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. The headquarters is in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, United States.
History
The soc ...
(1883–1884), and president of the department of higher education, a part of the
National Education Association
The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stude ...
(1883–1884).
Several small changes occurred at the university during his presidency: the curriculum was somewhat expanded, an attempt was made to increase salaries for professors and reduce faculty work loads, and several men were added to the faculty as well as young men added to the teaching staff as assistants. The ''Indiana Student'', conceived in 1867 and now better known as the ''
Indiana Daily Student
The ''Indiana Daily Student'' (''IDS'') is an independent, student-run newspaper that has been published for the community of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, since 1867. The ''IDS'' is free and distributed throughout the campus and ci ...
'', was revived in 1882 after a hiatus.
An Indiana University alumni convention convened in January 1883 in order to promote interests of the university. The most immediate success of this convention was the passage of a bill by the 1883 legislature giving a tax of one-half cent on each $100 of appraised value in order to create an endowment for the university. This tax was scheduled to last for thirteen years; at its enactment, it was estimated to produce over a half a million dollars.
The new science building that was built on
Seminary Square in 1873 was struck by lightning and destroyed by a fire on July 12, 1883. The loss of this building was an estimated $100,000. After this event, the trustees felt they should rebuild on a larger campus. On February 4, 1884, an area of known as "Dunn's Woods" were purchased. An additional site for buildings was available for purchase, amounting to $70,000, twenty of which went to insure the site with the additional fifty thousand donated by
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe:
* Monroe County, Alabama
*Monroe County, Arkansas
* Monroe County, Florida
* Monroe County, Georgia
*Monroe County, Illinois
*Monroe County, Indian ...
. The first buildings on this site, Owen and Wylie Halls, were completed in 1885.
Although Lemuel experienced the aforementioned successes while at Indiana University, the
Law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
and
Medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...
departments at the university were ended (both revived in later years) and fewer than six new students enrolled during his presidency at
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 ...
.
Moss Killers controversy
In November 1884 amid rumors of an improper relationship with
Katharine Merrill Graydon
Katharine Merrill Graydon (14 April 1858 – 25 January 1934) was an American classical scholar who specialised in teaching Greek and Latin literature, as well as a professor of English Literature.
Career
Graydon was graduate from the Classical c ...
, a professor of Greek at Indiana University, Moss resigned abruptly as President of Indiana University.
Affidavit
An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or '' deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by law. Such a statemen ...
s were presented to the Board of Trustees detailing the inappropriate behavior observed between the two by students M. W. Fordyce and Ed. Hall in order to bring charge of "improper and immoral conduct" by Moss.
[Minutes of the Board of Trustees at Indiana University, November 8, 1884] The affidavits states the two witnessed Moss and Graydon kissing and hugging as well Graydon sitting on Moss' lap in her office. These two were members of a group that called themselves the Moss Killers along with four fellow students and janitor Thomas Spicer. The group had drilled a hole in the ceiling of Graydon's office in order to observe her and Moss. Given the resignation of those involved, the Board of Trustees decided against continuing the investigation of the charges.
Moss did not contest his dismissal, but Graydon left under protest stating that Moss had threatened her with dismissal from her position if she refused his advances.
Moss fled Indianapolis, even before his family could sell their home, leaving them to join him later.
In addition to creating controversy because of his role as President of the University, at the time he was President of the National Baptist Association. In December 1884, the Baptist Council conducted its own investigation into the relationship between Moss and Graydon; in his defense, he stated, "I have confessed that I was guilty of an indiscretion but that was all". He was later reinstated by the council.
["Dr. Lemuel Moss Reinstated" ''The New York Times''. 26 December 1884]
Publications
In addition to serving as editor of the ''National Baptist'' from 1868 to 1902, Moss published and edited many other works. He served as the editor of the ''Baptist and the Centenary'' in 1876 as well as serving as the writer of other various magazine articles and reviews. From 1889 to 1893, Dr. Moss was the editor of a Baptist publication, ''The Examiner''. In 1897, Moss was the editor of the
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
publication ''The Baptist Commonwealth''.
Moss was the author of several works during his lifetime, one of which is the eight-volume ''Annals of the Christian Commission''.
He also wrote ''A Day with Paul'' and ''The Baptists of the National Centenary: A Record of Christian Work''.
Later life
While serving as a professor of Christian sociology at Bucknell, Moss also contributed to the work of the
American Baptist Historical Society The American Baptist Historical Society (ABHS) is the oldest Baptist historical society in the United States.
History
The American Baptist Historical Society was created in 1853 at the instigation of John Mason Peck. In 1862, it was chartered under ...
, serving as president from 1895 to 1900 and vice president from 1900 to 1904. Although he suffered considerable physical ailments during his later years in life, Lemuel Moss used his remaining energy on behalf of the Baptist denominations. He died on July 13, 1904 in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and was buried in
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a neighborhood in the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood consists of several subsections in central Brooklyn and is generally bounded by Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park to the north, ...
.
References
External links
http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/findingaids/archives/InU-Ar-VAA2629Indiana University President's Office records, 1880–1884
http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/findingaids/archives/InU-Ar-VAA2633Lemuel Moss papers, 1860–1876
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moss, Lemuel
American theologians
People from Boone County, Kentucky
People from Dearborn County, Indiana
University of Rochester alumni
1829 births
1904 deaths
Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School alumni
Presidents of Indiana University