William Lowe Bryan (November 11, 1860 – November 21, 1955) was the 10th president of
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
, serving from 1902 to 1937.
Early life and education
William Lowe Bryan was born William Julian Bryan on November 11, 1860 in
Monroe County, Indiana
Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 1910 the US Census Bureau calculated the nation's mean population center to lie in Monroe County. The population was 137,974 at the 2010 United States Census. The county seat is Bloomin ...
. His father, John Bryan was a Presbyterian minister and his mother was Eliza Phillips Bryan. He attended public schools in the county. Having been born near
Bloomington, Bryan entered the Preparatory Department of
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
in 1877. While a student at IU, he was a member of the university baseball team where he earned his letter and was active in the student newspaper, The Daily Student. Bryan graduated from IU with a degree in ancient
classics
Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
in 1884. He continued his studies and received a Master's degree in
Philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
in 1886. However, his interests shifted toward
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
. From 1886-1887, Bryan went to Germany to study at the University of Berlin. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in psychology from
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research universities in the ...
in 1892 under the direction of
G. Stanley Hall
Granville Stanley Hall (February 1, 1846 – April 24, 1924) was a pioneering American psychologist and educator. His interests focused on human life span development and evolutionary theory. Hall was the first president of the American Psy ...
.
Career
After graduating with his undergraduate degree in 1884, Bryan was appointed English instructor in the Preparatory Department at
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
. Within a few months, he was invited to join the faculty of the Greek Department. In 1885, he was named Associate Professor of Philosophy. When he returned from studying at the University of Berlin, Bryan was named full professor and granted money to conduct research on human reaction times. In January 1888, he opened the Indiana University Psychological Laboratory. Bryan went on to become a leader in the movement for the scientific study of children.
In 1892, Bryan helped organize the
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association (APA) is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, with over 133,000 members, including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. It ha ...
and became one of its charter members.
Upon returning to IU after his studies with Hall, Bryan was appointed Vice-President of the University. In 1902, he was named the tenth president of
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
. Bryan oversaw the development of IU for 35 years. During his tenure, the schools of medicine, education, nursing, business, music, and dentistry were established. Additionally, many graduate programs and several satellite campus throughout the state were established. While Bryan was president, the university grew from 1,335 students and 65 faculty members to 7,005 students and 330 faculty members.
One of the early challenges of Bryan's presidency was providing the university campus with a sufficient amount of water for its operation. (Bloomington, and the IU campus in particular, is located on a high ground without any major rivers or lakes in the vicinity, and with little usable
groundwater
Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidate ...
).
The city's waterworks existing in the early 20th century being utterly inadequate, Bryan commissioned a team of IU researchers, led by the geologist E.R. Cumings, to investigate the campus' water situation. On March 8, 1910, the Cumings commission recommended a site for the new reservoir, a couple miles northeast of the campus; the reservoir, which became known as the
University Lake, was constructed in 1910–1914.
Although no longer used for water supply, the reservoir remains, and is the centerpiece of Indiana University's Research and Teaching Preserve (Griffy Woods).
Marriage
Bryan married Charlotte Lowe in July 1889. They took one another's last names, so thereafter Bryan was known as William Lowe Bryan. Charlotte had a Bachelor's degree in Greek and continued to study on her own after their marriage. Bryan and Charlotte collaborated on two volumes of selections from Plato for teachers. Charlotte was often ill throughout her life, and Bryan often turned down social invitations so he could stay with his wife. She died in 1948.
Death
William Lowe Bryan died in Bloomington in 1955.
[Alternate Link]
via ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
. He was buried next to his wife at
Crown Hill Cemetery
Crown Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The privately owned cemetery was established in 1863 at Strawberry Hill, whose summit was renamed "The Crown", a high poi ...
in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
.
Books
*''Studies in Platoʼs Republic'', 1898
*''On the psychology of learning a life occupation'', 1941
*''The measured and the not-yet-measured'', 1947
See also
*
American philosophy
American philosophy is the activity, corpus, and tradition of philosophers affiliated with the United States. The ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' notes that while it lacks a "core of defining features, American Philosophy can nevert ...
*
List of American philosophers
This is a list of American philosophers; of philosophers who are either from, or spent many productive years of their lives in the United States.
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryan, William Lowe
Clark University alumni
1860 births
1955 deaths
American philosophers
Presidents of the American Psychological Association
Presidents of Indiana University