Paul Ansel Chadbourne (October 21, 1823 – February 23, 1883) was an American

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

and naturalist who served as President of

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

from 1867 to 1870, and President of

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

from 1872 until his resignation in 1881.Staff report (July 8, 1880). Dr. Paul A Chadbourne: Why He Resigns the Presidency of Williams College. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' He was also the second President of the Massachusetts Agricultural College (later

University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system and the only public research system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes five campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and a medica ...

) in 1867 and again from 1882 until his death in 1883.

Early life

Chadbourne was born in

North Berwick, Maine North Berwick is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The town was set off from Berwick in 1831, following South Berwick in 1814. North Berwick's population was 4,978 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland– South Portlan ...

and attended school at

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

. He graduated from

, where he was a member of The

Kappa Alpha Society The Kappa Alpha Society (), founded in 1825, was the progenitor of the modern fraternity system in North America. It is considered to be the oldest national, secret, Greek-letter social fraternity and was the first of the fraternities which would ...

, and became

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...

in 1848 with

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

honors. Chadbourne earned his M.D. degree from

Berkshire Medical College Berkshire Medical College (originally the Berkshire Medical Institution, and sometimes referred to as Berkshire Medical College) was a medical school in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It is notable for establishing the first professorship in mental d ...

but never practiced medicine.

Career

Chadbourne initially taught school in

Freehold, New Jersey Freehold, New Jersey may refer to: * Freehold Borough, New Jersey, the county seat of Monmouth County * Freehold Township, New Jersey Freehold Township is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is both a r ...

until taking a position at Williams College, where he taught scientific subjects for fourteen years. At Williams College he was the Professor of Chemistry, Botany, and Natural History. Concurrently, he was professor at

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

, Maine Medical College, and Berkshire Medical School. He was President of the Massachusetts Agricultural College from 1866 to 1867, and from 1882 to 1883. He was the President and Professor of Metaphysics at the University of Wisconsin at Madison from 1867 to 1870. Chadbourne served as a member of the Republican party in the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the ...

from 1865 to 1866.

Death and legacy

Following years of pulmonary problems, Chadbourne died on February 23, 1883 while serving as President of the Massachusetts Agricultural College. Chadbourne House at Williams College is named after him. Chadbourne Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is named after him.

Selected works

Lectures on Natural History
(1860)
The Influence of History on Individual and National Action
Annual Address before the State Historical Society of Wisconsin (1868)
Lectures on Natural Theology
(1869)
Inaugural Address
(1872)
Strength of Men and Stability of Nations
Baccalaureate Discourses (1873-1877)
Strength of the Inward Man
(1873)
Him That Overcometh
(1874)
The Law of Service
(1875)
The Tree by the Rivers of Water
(1876)
The Stability of Nations
(1877)
The Hope of the Righteous
(1877)
Instinct: Its Office in the Animal Kingdom, and Its Relation to the Higher Powers in Man
(1883)

References

External links

Paul A. Chadbourne papers
via Williams College
Biographical note
via Williams College
Wisconsin Historical Society: Chadbourne, Paul Ansel 1823 - 1883

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chadbourne, Paul 1823 births 1883 deaths American naturalists Leaders of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Presidents of Williams College Leaders of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Massachusetts state senators People from North Berwick, Maine Writers from Maine Writers from Massachusetts Writers from Wisconsin Berkshire Medical College alumni 19th-century American politicians Williams College alumni