Dr. Samuel Martin Jordan (1871 – 1952) was an American presbyterian missionary in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

(

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

). He is sometimes referred to as the "father of modern education in Iran".John H. Lorentz, ''Historical Dictionary of Iran'' (Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland, 1995). , . After graduating first from

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...

and then from the

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of ...

in 1898, he moved to

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

and spent 43 years as a missionary in Iran. Under his direction, the establishment that later took the name of

Alborz High School Mandegar Alborz High School ( fa, دبیرستان ماندگار البرز) is a college-preparatory high school located in the heart of Tehran, Iran. It is one of the first modern high schools in Asia and the Middle East, named after the Alborz ...

was upgraded to the ''American College of Tehran'' and received a permanent charter from the Board of Regents of the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by c ...

in 1932. Jordan served as president of the institution from 1899 until 1940. He received the first Scientific Medal of Iran in 1940. In appreciation of his many services to higher education in Iran, a boulevard in Tehran, Jordan Boulevard, was named after him. Although after the 1979

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

this street's name was changed (to ''Africa'' and later to ''Nelson Mandela''), the old name is still widely used. A statue of him, perhaps the only of a Westerner in Iran at the time, which is still on display in

Amirkabir University Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT) ( fa, دانشگاه صنعتی امیرکبیر), also called the Tehran Polytechnic, is a public technological university located in Tehran, Iran. Founded in 1928, AUT is the second oldest technical univ ...

, was dedicated in Alborz High School. Further, a theater in Tehran was named after him. On 21 April 2005,

Fariborz Maseeh Fariborz Maseeh (Persian: فریبرز مسیح : ''Farīborz Masīh'') is an Iranian-born Iranian-American engineer who works in the field of micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS). He founded IntelliSense in 1991 and sold it in 2000. ...

and the Massiah Foundation pledged $2 million to create an interdisciplinary research center at

UC Irvine UC may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''University Challenge'', a popular British quiz programme airing on BBC Two ** '' University Challenge (New Zealand)'', the New Zealand version of the British programme * Universal Century, one of the ti ...

named "The Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture" that will bring together scholars in

Persian history The history of Iran is intertwined with the history of a larger region known as Greater Iran, comprising the area from Anatolia in the west to the borders of Ancient India and the Syr Darya in the east, and from the Caucasus and the Eurasian Step ...

, language, culture, art and literature.

References

External links

''Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture'', University of California, Irvine, School of Humanities
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Samuel M. Education in Tehran American educators Lafayette College alumni Princeton Theological Seminary alumni Presbyterian missionaries in Iran American Presbyterian missionaries American expatriates in Iran People from Tehran 1871 births 1952 deaths Missionary educators

See also

References

External links