Walter Albert Jessup (August 12, 1877 – July 5, 1944) was an American academic administrator. He served as the eleventh President of the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

from 1916 to 1934.

Early life

Jessup was born on August 12, 1877, in

Richmond, Indiana Richmond is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County and is part of the Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 36,812. Situa ...

. He graduated from

Earlham College Earlham College is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. The college was established in 1847 by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and has a strong focus on Quaker values such as integrity, a commitment to peace and social ...

Hanover College Hanover College is a private college in Hanover, Indiana, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Founded in 1827 by Reverend John Finley Crowe, it is Indiana's oldest private college. The Hanover athletic teams participate in the H ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. He was the 28th initiate of the Iowa Gamma chapter of

Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Phi Epsilon (), commonly known as SigEp, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College (now the University of Richmond), and its national headquarte ...

fraternity.Hawkeye Yearbook 1918, Page 317
/ref>

Career

Jessup was the school superintendent in

Westfield, Indiana Westfield is a city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 30,068, and in 2020 the population was 46,410. Westfield is in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. History Westfield was founded on May ...

and

Madison, Indiana Madison is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. As of the 2010 United States Census its population was 11,967. Over 55,000 people live within of downtown Madison. Madison is the larges ...

. Jessup served as the dean of the

Indiana University School of Education The Indiana University School of Education (abbreviated as IU School of Education) is a constituent school of Indiana University Bloomington and one of the top-ranked schools of education in the United States. It offers a range of degrees in pro ...

, and as the eleventh President of the

from 1916 to 1934. Jessup was the president of the

Carnegie Corporation of New York The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Carnegie Corporation has endowed or otherwise helped to establis ...

and the

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT) is a U.S.-based education policy and research center. It was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress. Among its most nota ...

Death and legacy

Jessup resided in New York City. He summered in

Arlington, Vermont Arlington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,457 at the 2020 census. History The town of Arlington was chartered July 28, 1761, by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth, as part of the New Hampshire ...

. Jessup died on July 5, 1944, in New York City, at 66. Jessup Hall on the university campus is named for him.

References

1877 births 1944 deaths People from Richmond, Indiana People from New York City Earlham College alumni Hanover College alumni Columbia University alumni Presidents of the University of Iowa {{US-academic-administrator-stub