Webster Merrifield (July 27, 1852 in

Newfane, Vermont Newfane is the shire town (county seat) of Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,645 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Newfane, Williamsville, and South Newfane. History One of the New Hampshire gran ...

One thousand men
by Dorman B. E. Kent; published 1914 by the Vermont Historical Society; via

archive.org The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

; p. 79 January 22, 1916) was an American educator and academic who served as the third President of the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of N ...

from 1891 to 1909. Called the Father of

Secondary Education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...

in North Dakota, he was responsible for widespread standard reform among the states high schools and secondary schools. During his tenure as UND President he oversaw the creation of both its Law School and Medical School, and is credited with developing the University into a nationally recognized institution. Merrifield Hall, the University's Liberal Arts building, is named in his honor. Merrifield had graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 1877, and taught Greek and Latin at the Yale until moving to the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of N ...

in 1883 to teach the languages at the University Of North Dakota, where he also taught Literature and Political Science.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merrifield, Webster 1852 births 1916 deaths Presidents of the University of North Dakota People from Newfane, Vermont