William Henry Steele Demarest (May 12, 1863 – June 23, 1956) was an American

Dutch Reformed The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...

minister and the eleventh President of

Rutgers College Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

(now

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

) serving from 1906 to 1924.

Biography

May 12, 1863 in

Hudson, New York Hudson is a city and the county seat of Columbia County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. Located on the east side of the Hudson River and 120 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, it was named for the rive ...

. Having been educated at the Rutgers Grammar School (now the Rutgers Preparatory School), Demarest graduated with high honors from

with a

baccalaureate Baccalaureate may refer to: * ''Baccalauréat'', a French national academic qualification * Bachelor's degree, or baccalaureate, an undergraduate academic degree * English Baccalaureate, a performance measure to assess secondary schools in England ...

degree in 1883. From 1883 to 1886, Demarest taught at the Rutgers Preparatory School. In 1888 he graduated from the

New Brunswick Theological Seminary New Brunswick Theological Seminary is a Reformed Christian seminary with its main campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was founded in 1784 and is one of the oldest seminaries in the United States. It is a seminary of the Reformed Church in Ame ...

, and that same year was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the ministry of the

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...

, where he served until 1901 at which time he returned to the Seminary, and was appointed Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Church Government to replace retiring professor Samuel Merrill Woodbridge (1819–1905). In 1905, Demarest was named as acting President of the College, and was elected by the Trustees to succeed Austin Scott as President in early 1906. During his tenure, the New Jersey College for Women (now Douglass College) was established in 1918, through private donors and increased appropriation from the State of New Jersey, new facilities were constructed for instruction in Engineering, Chemistry, Entomology, and

Ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

s and dormitories were built to accommodate the increased enrollment. Following his resignation as President in 1924, Demarest served for ten years as president of the

and remained active in the affairs of the University. In 1924, he published ''History of Rutgers College''. He died on June 23, 1956 in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Legacy

* Demarest Hall at

is named in his honor. * Demarest House was his home from 1906 until 1956.

References

External links

Rutgers biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Demarest, William H. S. 1863 births 1956 deaths Rutgers Preparatory School alumni Rutgers University alumni New Brunswick Theological Seminary alumni Presidents of Rutgers University Burials at Elmwood Cemetery (North Brunswick, New Jersey)