Samuel Palmer Brooks (December 4, 1863 – May 4, 1931) was the President of
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...
from 1902 to 1931.
[Handbook of Texas Online](_blank)
/ref>[Baylor Presidency biography](_blank)
Biography
Samuel Palmer Brooks was born in Milledgeville, Georgia
Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon and bordered on the east by the Oconee River. The rapid current of the river here made this an attractive location to buil ...
on December 4, 1863.[Time Magazine](_blank)
/ref> He graduated with a B.A. from Baylor University in 1893, and from Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
in 1894. At Baylor, he roomed with later Governor of Texas Pat Morris Neff
Pat Morris Neff (November 26, 1871 – January 20, 1952) was an American politician, educator and administrator, and the 28th Governor of Texas from 1921 to 1925, ninth President of Baylor University from 1932 to 1947, and twenty-fifth presid ...
. He taught History at Baylor, then received an M.A. from Yale in 1902. From 1902 to 1931, he served as President of Baylor University, and was responsible for the restarting of the Baylor Law School
Baylor Law School is the oldest law school in Texas. Baylor Law School is affiliated with Baylor University and located in Waco, Texas. The school has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1931 and has been a member of the Associat ...
, formation of the Baylor College of Dentistry, the Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is a medical school and research center in Houston, Texas, within the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest medical center. BCM is composed of four academic components: the School of Medicine, the Graduate Sc ...
, and the Texas Baptist Sanitarium which later became Baylor University Medical Center
Baylor University Medical Center (Baylor Dallas or BUMC), part of Baylor Scott & White Health, is a not-for-profit hospital in Dallas, Texas. It has 1,025 licensed beds and is one of the major centers for patient care, medical training and resea ...
in Dallas, Texas. Enrollment nearly quadrupled during his presidency, from 783 students in 1902 to 3,039 in 1930.Samuel Palmer Brooks papers, The Texas Collection, Baylor University
In 1916, he organized the Texas Association of Colleges, and served on the Texas State Teachers Association
Texas State Teachers Association, or TSTA, is the oldest education organization in Texas, affiliated with the National Education Association (NEA). TSTA is led by a full-time state president and vice president, a board of directors, and a democrat ...
in 1901 and 1919. He served as Secretary of the Texas Baptist Education Commission in 1905, President of the Baptist General Convention of Texas
The Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) is the oldest surviving Baptist convention in the state of Texas. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist World Alliance. In 2009, the BGCT began to also go by the name ...
from 1914 to 1917, and Vice-President of the Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wor ...
in 1910 and 1917. He was Vice-President of the Texas State Peace Society and organized the Texas State Peace Congress in 1907, of which he was President until 1915.
He received honorary degrees
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
from Richmond College in 1903, Mercer University
Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 ...
in Macon, Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, in 1922, Austin College
Austin College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Sherman, Texas.[Sherman
Sherman most commonly refers to:
*Sherman (name), a surname and given name (and list of persons with the name)
** William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), American Civil War General
*M4 Sherman, a tank
Sherman may also refer to:
Places United St ...](_blank)
, Texas, in 1924, and Georgetown College
Georgetown College is a private Christian college in Georgetown, Kentucky. Chartered in 1829, Georgetown was the first Baptist college west of the Appalachian Mountains.
The college offers 38 undergraduate degrees and a Master of Arts in educat ...
in Georgetown, 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 borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
in 1929. He was a Mason
Mason may refer to:
Occupations
* Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces
* Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...
, a trustee of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at ...
, and a member of the Southern Baptist Education Association. He died in 1931. His papers are housed at The Texas Collection
The Texas Collection is one of the special libraries at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Situated in the Carroll Library Building, the Texas Collection serves as a collection of various documents, items and artifacts significant to Texas history. ...
at Baylor University
Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Samuel Palmer
1863 births
1931 deaths
People from Milledgeville, Georgia
Baptists from Texas
Baylor University alumni
Yale University alumni
Baylor University faculty
Presidents of Baylor University
Baptists from Georgia (U.S. state)