William Arnon Henry (June 16, 1850 – November 24, 1932) was an American academic and agriculturist from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. Henry studied at the

National Normal University National Normal University was a teacher's college in Lebanon, Ohio. Located in southwestern Ohio, it opened in 1855 as Southwestern Normal School and took the name National Normal University in 1870. Alfred Holbrook was the first president a ...

and

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...

before becoming a principal of two high schools. After continuing his education at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

from 1876 to 1880, Henry was appointed a professor at the

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 ...

. There, he led the growth of the College of Agriculture, becoming its first dean in 1891. He remained at the university until 1907, when he was named a professor emeritus.

Biography

William Arnon Henry was born in

Norwalk, Ohio Norwalk is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Huron County, Ohio, Huron County. The population was 17,012 at the United States Census 2010, 2010 census. The city is the center of the Norwalk, OH μSA, Norwalk Micropolitan Stat ...

, on June 16, 1850. As a child, he helped on the family farm and attended a public school in

Defiance Defiance may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Defiance'' (1952 film), a Swedish drama film directed by Gustaf Molander * ''Defiance'' (1980 film), an American crime drama starring Jan-Michael Vincent * ''Defiance'' (2002 film), a ...

. Henry attended the

, teaching to earn money to pay for tuition. He matriculated at

in 1869, studying there for a year. In 1871, Henry was named the principal of New Haven High School in

New Haven, Indiana New Haven is a city in Adams, Jefferson, and St. Joseph townships, Allen County, Indiana, United States. It sits to the east of the city of Fort Wayne, the second largest city in Indiana, and is situated mostly along the southern banks of the Maum ...

, which he led until taking a similar position with

Boulder High School Boulder High School is a high school in Boulder, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Boulder Valley School District. Boulder High School was founded in 1875 as a preparatory school to the University of Colorado. In 1876, it was the first ...

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...

, in 1873. Henry remained at Boulder until 1876, when he became a student of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at

. During the summer before his senior year, Henry worked as an assistant to

Charles Valentine Riley Charles Valentine Riley (18 September 1843 – 14 September 1895) was a British-born American entomologist and artist. He was one of the first individuals to use biological pest control and authored over 2,400 publications. He convinced Congress ...

at the

United States Entomological Commission The United States Entomological Commission was established by an Act of Congress in 1877 as a department under the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories headed by Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden. The commission was created ...

. During his last year, he was an instructor of botany at Cornell. He received a bachelor's degree in 1880. Agricultural_Dean%27s_House_Madison

Upon graduation, Henry was named professor of botany and agriculture at the

. He married Clara R. Taylor in 1881. Henry was commissioned by the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

to study

silage Silage () is a type of fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation to the point of acidification. It can be fed to cattle, sheep and other such ruminants (cud-chewing animals). The fermentation and storage p ...

and the production of sugar from amber cane. In 1883, he was relieved of his botanical studies so that he could focus on building the College of Agriculture. He was appointed director of the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station in 1887 and then was named the first dean of the agricultural school in 1891. Under Henry, Wisconsin founded the first short course in agriculture and the first dairy school. Henry retired in 1907, becoming a professor emeritus. He received honorary degrees from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

, and

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

. He had one son, Arnon. Henry died on November 24, 1932, at his sister's home in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, William Arnon 1850 births 1932 deaths People from Madison, Wisconsin People from Norwalk, Ohio Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty People from New Haven, Indiana People from Boulder, Colorado National Normal University alumni Ohio Wesleyan University alumni