Ray Lyman Wilbur
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Ray Lyman Wilbur (April 13, 1875 – June 26, 1949) was an American
medical doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
who served as the third president of
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 ...
and was the 31st
United States Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natural ...
.


Early life

Wilbur was born in Boonesboro, Iowa, the son of attorney and businessman Dwight Locke Wilbur and the former Edna Maria Lyman. He was raised with a brother, Curtis D. Wilbur, who served as the U.S. Secretary of the Navy under President
Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...
, and was a judge of the
Supreme Court of California The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacra ...
. The Wilbur family moved to
Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...
, when Ray Lyman was twelve.Ray L. Wilbur Dies at Stanford at 74, The New York Times, June 27, 1949 Wilbur graduated from Riverside High School, then studied 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 ...
, receiving a
B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
degree in 1896 and an
M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
degree in 1897. He then studied at
Cooper Medical College Stanford University School of Medicine is the medical school of Stanford University and is located in Stanford, California. It traces its roots to the Medical Department of the University of the Pacific, founded in San Francisco in 1858. This ...
in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
(then of the
University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It cond ...
, now the medical school of Stanford), receiving a
Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...
degree in 1899. While a freshman at his Stanford home, Wilbur met future President
Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...
, who was drumming up business on campus for a local laundry. The two men became lifelong friends. On December 5, 1898, Wilbur married the former Marguerite May Blake, who was a college friend of
Lou Hoover Lou Hoover ( née Henry; March 29, 1874 – January 7, 1944) was an American philanthropist, geologist, and First Lady of the United States from 1929 to 1933 as the wife of President Herbert Hoover. She was active in numerous community organizat ...
, Herbert Hoover's wife.Mrs RL Wilbur is Close Friend of First Lady, Atlanta Constitution, March 11, 1929 The couple had five children (Jessica Wilbur Ely, Blake Colburn Wilbur,
Dwight Locke Wilbur Dwight Locke Wilbur (September 18, 1903 – March 9, 1997) was a medical doctor and president of the American Medical Association. During his 1968-69 tenure, he was instrumental in convincing that organization to accept Medicare after many yea ...
, Lois Wilbur Hopper, and Ray Lyman Wilbur, Jr.). Marguerite Wilbur died on December 24, 1946, at age 71.


Stanford University

Wilbur first became a member of Stanford's faculty in 1896, as an instructor in physiology. In 1900, Wilbur was made an assistant professor while simultaneously carrying on a busy medical practice. He was the only physician in the university community. From 1903 to 1909, Wilbur practiced medicine full-time. In 1909, he became a professor of medicine and in 1911 was named
dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...
of the new
Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine is the medical school of Stanford University and is located in Stanford, California. It traces its roots to the Medical Department of the University of the Pacific, founded in San Francisco in 1858. This ...
, located at the former Cooper Medical College, where Wilbur had received his M.D. degree. He served as the dean until 1916. In 1916, he was chosen to serve as president of Stanford and continued in that position until 1943, including during his tenure as
Secretary of the Interior Secretary of the Interior may refer to: * Secretary of the Interior (Mexico) * Interior Secretary of Pakistan * Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines) * United States Secretary of the Interior See also

*Interior ministry ...
. Upon his inauguration as its president, he said that he intended to devote the rest of his life to Stanford, and he did. From his retirement as president in 1943 until his death in 1949, he served as the University's
chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
. During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Wilbur served as a chief of the conservation division of the
United States Food Administration The United States Food Administration (1917–1920) was an independent Federal agency that controlled the production, distribution and conservation of food in the U.S. during the nation's participation in World War I. It was established to preve ...
.Ray Lyman Wilbur Taken By Death, ''Los Angeles Times'', June 27, 1949 While at the USFA, he coined the slogan "Food Will Win the War." Wilbur reorganized graduate education, established the Lower Division, introduced Independent Study, and regrouped academic departments within the Schools of the University. He launched the
Stanford Graduate School of Business The Stanford Graduate School of Business (also known as Stanford GSB) is the graduate business school of Stanford University, a private research university in Stanford, California. For several years it has been the most selective business schoo ...
and the Food Research Institute. Among his most notable stances while at Stanford were his opposition to
fraternities A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, "brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in ...
and to automobiles on campus. Wilbur served as the President of the
American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016. The AMA's state ...
from 1923 to 1924. In 1923, he was one of the doctors called in to consult when President
Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...
fell ill in San Francisco, and was present at his deathbed. His son,
Dwight Locke Wilbur Dwight Locke Wilbur (September 18, 1903 – March 9, 1997) was a medical doctor and president of the American Medical Association. During his 1968-69 tenure, he was instrumental in convincing that organization to accept Medicare after many yea ...
, later followed in his footsteps as President of the AMA from 1968 until 1969. Wilbur belonged to several private men's clubs, including the
Bohemian Club The Bohemian Club is a private club with two locations: a city clubhouse in the Nob Hill district of San Francisco, California and the Bohemian Grove, a retreat north of the city in Sonoma County. Founded in 1872 from a regular meeting of journal ...
, the
Pacific-Union Club The Pacific-Union Club is a social club located at 1000 California Street in San Francisco, California, at the top of Nob Hill. It is considered to be the most elite club of the West Coast, and one of the most elite clubs in the United States, a ...
, the Commonwealth Club and the University Club in San Francisco.Dulfer & Hoag
''Our Society Blue Book''
pp. 177–178. San Francisco, Dulfer & Hoag, 1925
When the
California Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legisla ...
established the State Park Commission in 1927, Wilbur was named to the original commission, along with Major
Frederick Russell Burnham Frederick Russell Burnham DSO (May 11, 1861 – September 1, 1947) was an American scout and world-traveling adventurer. He is known for his service to the British South Africa Company and to the British Army in colonial Africa, and for teach ...
, W. F. Chandler,
William Edward Colby William Edward Colby (May 28, 1875 – November 9, 1964) was an American lawyer, conservationist, and first Secretary of the Sierra Club. Early life and education William Colby was born in Benicia, California and was brought up by his aunt af ...
, and Henry W. O'Melveny.


Secretary of the Interior

On March 5, 1929, President Hoover nominated Wilbur as the
U.S. Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natural ...
confirmed by the Senate, and assumed office the same day. His tenure ended on March 4, 1933, as Hoover left office. As Interior Secretary, Wilbur addressed corruption in granting contracts for naval oil reserves, which had caused controversy during the Harding administration's
Teapot Dome The Teapot Dome scandal was a bribery scandal involving the administration of United States President Warren G. Harding from 1921 to 1923. Secretary of the Interior Albert Bacon Fall had leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome in Wyomin ...
scandal. Wilbur promulgated a policy that no new oil leases would be granted to private individuals except when mandated by law. Wilbur was criticized by political opponents for his allocation of power from
Boulder Dam #REDIRECT Hoover Dam Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression a ...
to private utilities. Opponents also criticized him for renaming the dam Hoover Dam. Wilbur took a particular interest in Native Americans while in office and reorganized the department's
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...
. He assisted Native Americans in working to become more self-reliant.


New Deal critic

After leaving the
Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...
in 1933, Wilbur was to become a vocal critic of
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
's
New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...
and was the leading champion of "rugged individualism."Ray Lyman Wilbur, ''The Washington Post'', June 28, 1949 He wrote: "It is common talk that every individual is entitled to economic security. The only animals and birds I know that have economic security are those that have been domesticated—and the economic security they have is controlled by the barbed-wire fence, the butcher's knife and the desire of others. They are milked, skinned, egged or eaten up by their protectors."


Death and legacy

Wilbur died of
heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...
at his
Stanford 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 considere ...
campus home on June 26, 1949, at age 74. He is buried at
Alta Mesa Memorial Park Alta Mesa Memorial Park is a non-denominational burial ground located in Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California. It was established in 1904 as a 72-acre cemetery. It includes traditional burial plots, a mausoleum and a columbarium. Notable b ...
in
Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish language, Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree kno ...
. Hoover eulogized him as "my devoted friend and constant friend since boyhood." He said of Wilbur: "During all his years, including his later chancellorship of Stanford, he has given a multitude of services to the people. Public health and education have been enriched over all these years from his sane statesmanship and rugged intellectual honesty. America is a better place for his having lived in it." A
dormitory A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...
complex at Stanford University is named after Wilbur.


References


Further reading

*
The Doctor-President Who Made Stanford Better
Stanford Magazine, January 6, 2016'' *''The Memoirs of Ray Lyman Wilbur 1875-1940'', Stanford University Press, 1960 *Ely, Northcutt. (1994-12-16)

Paper presented at the Fortnightly Club of Redlands, California, meeting #1530 *''Human Hopes: Addresses & Papers on Education, Citizenship, & Social Problems'', Stanford University Press, 1940


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilbur, Ray Lyman 1875 births 1949 deaths People from Boone, Iowa Presidents of Stanford University United States Secretaries of the Interior American Congregationalists Hoover administration cabinet members 20th-century American politicians California Republicans People from Riverside, California Stanford University alumni Presidents of the American Medical Association