James A. Blaisdell
James Arnold Blaisdell (December 15, 1867 – January 29, 1957) was an American minister, theologian, and academic administrator. He was the fourth president of Pomona College (1910–1927) and founder and "head fellow" of the Claremont Colleges (1927–1935).[2][1]
James A. Blaisdell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 4th President of Pomona College | |
| In office July 1, 1910 – July 1, 1928 | |
| Preceded by | George A. Gates |
| Succeeded by | Charles K. Edmunds |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Arnold Blaisdell December 15, 1867 Beloit, Wisconsin |
| Died | January 29, 1957 (aged 89) Claremont, California |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4[1] |
| Alma mater | Beloit College |
| Profession | Academic |
Life and career
He was born in Beloit, Wisconsin; his father was a philosophy professor at Beloit College. Blaisdell graduated from Beloit College in 1889, and went on to become a minister in Waukesha, Wisconsin for a time, until he went back to Beloit College to be the Chair of the Bible Department, as well as the director of the library, in 1903.
He became president of Pomona College in 1910 and the College’s finances, success and visibility quickly increased. He envisioned what would become the Claremont Colleges in 1923 when faced with increasing enrollment at Pomona, so that rather than compromising the small college’s atmosphere, several small schools could coexist and share common facilities such as a library, much like Oxford. He became the head of the Claremont University Consortium in 1927, when he resigned as president of Pomona.[3] He continued in this capacity until 1935, retiring to La Jolla, California, but upon the death of his wife in 1940, returned to Claremont, California for the last 17 years of his life, observing and overseeing the growth of what had become five institutions.[4]
Blaisdell was honored by the city of Claremont with the dedication of a public park in his name in 1962.[5][6] It is located on South College Avenue. He is buried in nearby Oak Park Cemetery in Claremont.
References
- "Dr. Blaisdell, of Claremont Colleges, Dies". Los Angeles Times. 30 January 1957. pp. 37–38. Retrieved 14 May 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "JAMES BLAISDELL DEAD; Ex-President of Pomona and Claremont Colleges Was 89". The New York Times. 30 January 1957. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- "1910". Pomona College Timeline. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- Anderson, Seth. "James Blaisdell-The Visionary". Claremont Conversation. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- Blaisdell Family Association. Blaisdell Papers. Volume 6, 1961, p.100
- Blackstock, Joe (8 October 2012). "Blaisdell's goal was to make sure the Claremont Colleges would expand, but remain small". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
Further reading
- Blaisdell, James Arnold (1984). The Story of a Life: An Autobiography. Claremont University Center – via Internet Archive.
- Ward, Natalie Joy Stromberg (1997). James A. Blaisdell, Creator of the Claremont Family of Colleges. Claremont University Center. OCLC 38125408.