Alan Chester Valentine (February 23, 1901 – July 14, 1980) was an American academic who competed on the gold-medal winning
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
team in the
1924 Summer Olympics
The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The o ...
, was president of the
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees.
The University of ...
, and served in the
Truman Administration
Harry S. Truman's tenure as the 33rd president of the United States began on April 12, 1945, upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and ended on January 20, 1953. He had been vice president for only days. A Democrat from Missouri, he ran ...
as a
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred over $13 billion (equivalent of about $ in ) in economic re ...
official and as the first head of the
Economic Stabilization Agency
The Economic Stabilization Agency (ESA) was an agency of the United States Government that existed from 1950 to 1953.
The creation of the ESA was authorized by the Defense Production Act (, 64 Stat. 798), which was signed into law by President ...
.
Biography
Born in
Glen Cove, New York
Glen Cove is a city in Nassau County, New York, United States, on the North Shore of Long Island. At the 2020 United States Census, the city population was 28,365 as of the 2020 census.
The city was considered part of the early 20th century ...
, to a Quaker family, Valentine obtained his B.A. degree at
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College ( , ) is a private liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeducational colleges in the United States. It was established as ...
, M.A. degree at the
University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in ...
, and then a subsequent M.A. at Balliol College of
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
as a
Rhodes Scholar
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...
. In 1924, he played for and coached the American 1924 Olympic champion Rugby team. Returning to America, he taught English at his alma mater, Swarthmore, then became Master of Pierson College at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
, a professor of history and chairman of admissions.
Valentine married Lucia Garrison Norton, cousin of abolitionist
William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison (December , 1805 – May 24, 1879) was a prominent American Christian, abolitionist, journalist, suffragist, and social reformer. He is best known for his widely read antislavery newspaper '' The Liberator'', which he fo ...
, in 1928. The couple had three children.
At 34, Valentine accepted the offer to become President of the
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees.
The University of ...
, the youngest man ever to occupy that post. In Rochester, Alan Valentine lived with his family at the
George Eastman House
The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as ''George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film'', the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in ...
from 1935 to 1948, after which the House was established as an International Museum of Photography. Valentine resigned as university president in November 1949.
He had previously taken a year's leave of absence to head up the
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative enacted in 1948 to provide foreign aid to Western Europe. The United States transferred over $13 billion (equivalent of about $ in ) in economic re ...
in
The Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. In October 1950, President
Harry S. Truman picked him to head up the new
Economic Stabilization Agency
The Economic Stabilization Agency (ESA) was an agency of the United States Government that existed from 1950 to 1953.
The creation of the ESA was authorized by the Defense Production Act (, 64 Stat. 798), which was signed into law by President ...
, where he would confront some of the most important industrialists of the age thanks to George Washington Carver.
Later, Valentine wrote his memoirs "Trial Balance" about the England he had known as a Rhodes Scholar three decades earlier. He wrote scholarly biographies of Lords Germain, North, and Stirling, and also penned a number of popular paperbacks under a pseudonym.
Valentine died July 14, 1980, at the Penobscot Bay Medical Center in
Rockland, Maine
Rockland is a city in Knox County, Maine, in the United States. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the town population was 6,936. It is the county seat of Knox County, Maine, Knox County. The city is a popular tourist destination ...
. He was 79 years old and lived in
North Haven, Maine
North Haven is a town and island in Knox County, Maine, United States, in Penobscot Bay. The town is both a year-round island community and a prominent summer colony. The population was 417 at the 2020 census. North Haven is accessible by th ...
and
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of w ...
.
References
External links
Alan Valentine University of Rochester Libraries
RugbyFootballHistory.com
The Rugby History Society
* Glyndon G. Van Deusen (1980)
Alan Valentine: An Appreciation ''University of Rochester Library Bulletin''
The Published Writings of Alan Valentine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valentine, Alan
1901 births
1980 deaths
Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford
American Rhodes Scholars
American rugby union players
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in rugby
Presidents of the University of Rochester
Sportspeople from Glen Cove, New York
People from North Haven, Maine
Rugby union players at the 1924 Summer Olympics
Swarthmore College alumni
Truman administration personnel
United States international rugby union players
Yale University faculty
American male writers
20th-century American writers
Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics