Austin Scott (Rutgers)

Austin Scott (August 10, 1848 – August 15, 1922) was the tenth president of Rutgers College (now Rutgers University), serving from 1891 to 1906.[1]

Austin Scott
48th Mayor of New Brunswick, New Jersey
In office
1914[lower-alpha 1]–1915
Preceded byJohn J. Morrison
Succeeded byEdward Farrington
10th President of Rutgers University
In office
1891–1906
Preceded byMerrill Edward Gates
Succeeded byWilliam H. S. Demarest
Personal details
Born
Frank Austin Scott

(1848-08-10)August 10, 1848
Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
DiedAugust 15, 1922(1922-08-15) (aged 74)
Granville, Massachusetts, U.S.
SpouseAnna Prentiss Stearns
Parent(s)Jeremiah Austin Scott
Sarah Remey
EducationYale College (A.B.)
University of Michigan (M.A.)
University of Berlin
University of Leipzig (Ph.D.)

Biography

Scott was born in Toledo, Ohio, to Jeremiah Austin Scott and Sarah Remey. His birth name was Frank Austin Scott, but he eventually dropped the use of his first name.

Scott received a baccalaureate degree from Yale College in 1869 and earned a Master of Arts (M.A.) from the University of Michigan in 1870.[2]

Scott studied at the University of Berlin and the University of Leipzig, receiving a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from Leipzig in 1873. After completing his studies in Germany, Scott taught at the University of Michigan and at Johns Hopkins University, as well as continuing work with historian George Bancroft that had begun during his time in Germany.[2] He had worked with Bancroft in Germany on the tenth volume of his History of the United States and upon his return worked with him on his History of the United States Constitution.[3] According to historian Hugh Hawkins, Scott preferred teaching at Hopkins to his work with Bancroft. He wanted to become a full-time instructor at Hopkins, and offered to end all other obligations, but left Hopkins in 1882 after he was not granted full-time status. The reason he was not promoted may have had more to do with Herbert Baxter Adams than Scott's own abilities. Adams possessed "unlimited ambition and great adroitness," and Adams gained a full-time appointment while Scott did not.[4][3]

In 1882, Scott married Anna Prentiss Stearns and they had seven children.[2][5]

In 1883, Scott was appointed to the faculty of Rutgers College as a professor of history, political economy, and constitutional law, and was elected to succeed Merrill Edward Gates in 1891.

During Scott's tenure at Rutgers, Robert Francis Ballantine (1836–1905), a wealthy brewer from Newark, New Jersey and a college trustee, made a substantial contribution to be used for the construction of a gymnasium on the campus. To replace the overcrowded library in the Kirkpatrick Chapel, Ralph and Elizabeth Rodman Voorhees made a major donation in 1873 to be used to build a new library. After Scott resigned as president in 1906, he returned to the faculty, spending 16 years teaching political science, constitutional law, international law and civics, in addition to assisting his successor, William H. S. Demarest, with administrative functions.[2][3]

Scott served as the mayor of New Brunswick, New Jersey, from 1914 to 1915. He died in Granville, Massachusetts, in 1922 at his summer home. His widow died on January 23, 1933.[5]

Notes
  1. Other sources say 1912.

References
  1. "Austin Scott (1891-1906)". Rutgers University. Archived from the original on January 5, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2010. An eminent and influential teacher, Dr. Austin Scott (1848-1922), was Professor of History, Political Economy, and Constitutional Law in Rutgers College when the Trustees elected him to succeed Merrill Gates as president in 1891. He was born in Maumee, near Toledo, Ohio, graduated from Yale College in 1869, and spent a year at the University of Michigan, where in 1870 he received a master of arts degree. ...
  2. "Austin Scott". Rutgers University. Retrieved December 21, 2010. Austin Scott was born in Toledo, Ohio on August 10, 1848, the son of Jeremiah Austin Scott and Sarah (Remey) Scott. He was named Frank Austin Scott, but eventually dropped the first name. Scott received his A.B. degree from Yale College in 1869, and an A.M. from the University of Michigan in 1870. ...
  3. "Austin Scott". Catalogue of the Officers and Alumni of Rutgers College. 1909. p. 30.
  4. Hugh Hawkins, Pioneer: A History of the Johns Hopkins University, 1874-1889. Cornell University Press, 1960, pp. 171-172.
  5. "Mrs. Austin Scott Dead In 81st Year. Widow of President of Rutgers and Mother of Harvard Law School Professor". The New York Times. January 23, 1933. Retrieved December 21, 2010. Anna Prentiss Scott, widow of Austin Scott, president of Rutgers from 1890 to 1906, and mother of Professor Austin W. Scott of the Harvard Law School, died ...
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