William Marion Jardine (January 16, 1879January 17, 1955) was a

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

administrator and educator. He served as the

United States Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments. The department includes several organi ...

from 1925 to 1929 and as the U.S. Minister to Egypt from 1930 to 1933.

Early life and education

Jardine was born in Oneida County, Idaho, to Rebecca and William Jardine. He graduated with a bachelor of science degree from Utah Agricultural College (today

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...

) in

Logan, Utah Logan is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The 2020 census recorded the population was 52,778. Logan is the county seat of Cache County and the principal city of the Logan metropolitan area, which includes Cache County and Franklin ...

. On September 6, 1905, Jardine married the former Effie Lane Nebeker; they had three children. He attended graduate school at the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 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 Univ ...

in 1906. Jardine had a strong interest in practical farming. He was also attracted to the opportunities in education. He began his teaching in Utah, where he soon became professor of agronomy. In 1910, Jardine moved to

Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city and county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. As of the 2020 cen ...

to accept the position of agronomist at the

Kansas State Agricultural College Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

. Three years later, Jardine was made dean of the Division of Agriculture and was Director of the Agriculture Experiment Station.

President of Kansas State University

On March 1, 1918, Jardine became the seventh President of

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

. He served until February 28, 1925, when he was succeeded by Francis D. Farrell. The office had been vacant after Henry J. Waters resigned to become managing editor of the '' Weekly Kansas City Star''. During his time in office, Jardine penned several handbooks, such as the "Suggestions for Teachers Giving Practical Instruction to City Boys in (a) Care and Handling of Work Horses (b) Care, Adjustment, and Use of Farm Machinery (c) Care and Handling of Dairy Cows and Milk", which was published by the Kansas State Council of Defense. Jardine achieved an outstanding reputation for his work in agricultural education that extended far beyond the borders of the state of

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

Secretary of Agriculture

On March 5, 1925, President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

appointed him

, a position he held for the next four years. Chrysanthemum show, 1925 Nov 5

United States Minister to Egypt

At the end of the Coolidge administration on March 4, 1929, Jardine served in President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

's administration as the United States Minister to Egypt from October 13, 1930 until September 5, 1933.

President of Municipal University of Wichita

After returning to

in 1933, Jardine became the president of the Municipal University of Wichita (currently known as Wichita State University). Jardine was appointed by the

Kansas State Treasurer The State Treasurer of Kansas is the chief custodian of Kansas’s cash deposits, monies from bond sales, and other securities and collateral and directs the investments of those assets. The Treasurer provides for the safe and efficient operation ...

from October 2, 1933, and he took the oath the following day. He served in this capacity from October 3, 1933 until 1949.

Death

Jardine was very active in education and government services until his death on January 17, 1955 in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. He is interred at the Logan City Cemetery in

. Jardine was a Congregationalist and was a member of a

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, Rotary, Alpha Zeta,

Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Unite ...

Phi Kappa Phi The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (or simply Phi Kappa Phi or ) is an honor society established in 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study, and to promote the "unity and democracy of education ...

, and the

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is a highly prestigious, non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a small group of graduate students in 1886 ...

. Jardine's papers are archived at

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

References

External links

*
William M. Jardine, Kansas Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jardine, William M. 1879 births 1955 deaths American agriculturalists Ambassadors of the United States to Egypt Coolidge administration cabinet members 20th-century American politicians People from Oneida County, Idaho Presidents of Kansas State University State treasurers of Kansas United States Secretaries of Agriculture University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni Utah State University alumni Presidents of Wichita State University Kansas Republicans Presidents of the American Society of Agronomy