Harold D. Richardson (1902 – March 2, 1993) was the acting president of Arizona State University (ASU) from December 1959 to the fall of 1960. He also served as ASU's academic vice president and held jobs in various school systems in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Life and work

Richardson was born on a farm in the Town of Wyoming, Wisconsin, and initially attended a one-room country school. The family moved to Spring Green for high school, and after his graduation, Richardson worked at a factory in

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. The next year, he headed for Whitewater State Normal School and studied to become a principal. After graduation, he held jobs in various school systems in

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and then pursued further education 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, ...

in Madison, where he received his bachelor's and master's degrees, and

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, where he received his doctorate.ASU Libraries/AZ Archives Online, "Office of the President Records 1863–1981"
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Arizona State

In 1939, while Richardson was director of research at the Deerfield-Shields Township High School District in Highland Park and Lake Forest, Illinois, Grady Gammage interviewed him and hired him as director of graduate studies at what was then known as Arizona State College at Tempe. Six years later, Richardson was named dean of instruction, and in 1953, he was tapped to become the academic vice president. In this position, he oversaw the conversion of a teachers college to university organization, which occurred in the lead-up to Arizona State gaining university status in 1958. On December 23, 1959, Gammage's sudden death obligated Richardson to become the school's acting president, effective the next day. He was the first new leader of ASU since Gammage had taken office in 1933. Though he served in an acting role, he is considered tenth in the succession of ASU presidents.The New ASU Story: Tenth President Harold D. Richardson (Acting), 1959–60
/ref> He remained in this position until September 1960, when the Arizona Board of Regents selected G. Homer Durham to become president. Richardson returned to his regular position, and in 1963, he resumed active duties as a professor of education. His daughter, Beverly (Richardson) Rousculp, and two of his three grandchildren, Tiffany Rousculp and Michael Rousculp, graduated from Arizona State University. He died on March 2, 1993, in Tempe.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Harold 1902 births 1993 deaths People from Wyoming, Iowa County, Wisconsin Presidents of Arizona State University University of Wisconsin–Whitewater alumni Northwestern University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni People from Spring Green, Wisconsin People from Darien, Wisconsin 20th-century American academics