Edward William Strong (October 16, 1901 - January 13, 1990) was the Chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley between 1961 and 1965. He resigned in March 1965, in large part due to his actions during the

Free Speech Movement The Free Speech Movement (FSM) was a massive, long-lasting student protest which took place during the 1964–65 academic year on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. The Movement was informally under the central leadership of Be ...

, which was beginning at that time. Besides his role as chancellor, Strong founded UC Berkeley's Department of Sociology and Social Institutions in 1946, chaired it until 1953, as well as in another of other campus roles.

Early life and education

Edward Strong graduated from Stanford University in 1925, and went on to receive a master's and doctorate in philosophy from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1929 and 1937, respectively.

Career

Edward Strong first joined the faculty at

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...

in 1932 as a lecturer, before being promoted to full professor in 1947. He founded Berkeley's Department of Sociology and Social Institutions in 1946, and chaired it until 1953. Strong also served for most of this period as an associate dean of the College of Letters and Science. He was appointed a Vice-Chancellor in 1958, and became Chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley, a role he served between 1961 and 1965. While Strong was Chancellor, he helped contribute to the establishment of Berkeley's Department of Computer Science. He resigned in March 1965, in large part due to his actions during the

, which was beginning at that time. After his resignation as Chancellor, Strong was appointed to the Mills Professorship of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy and Civil Polity, where he taught until 1967, when he retired. Besides for his academic work, Strong was once president of the

American Philosophical Association The American Philosophical Association (APA) is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarl ...

, and was the primary founder of the

Journal of the History of Philosophy The ''Journal of the History of Philosophy'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal. It was established in 1963 after the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association passed a motion to this effect in 1957. The journal is publi ...

. He was also instrumental in the construction of the Radiation Laboratory on Charter Hill, which morphed in to the

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), commonly referred to as the Berkeley Lab, is a United States national laboratory that is owned by, and conducts scientific research on behalf of, the United States Department of Energy. Located in ...

, which later participated in significant research into nuclear weapons.

Controversy as Chancellor

Strong's tenure as Chancellor at Berkeley was marked by strife related to the

free speech movement The Free Speech Movement (FSM) was a massive, long-lasting student protest which took place during the 1964–65 academic year on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. The Movement was informally under the central leadership of Be ...

, leading to his resignation in March 1965. When Strong resigned he issued a statement blaming Clark Kerr (who would be dismissed by the Board of Regents in January 1967) for "capitulating to the tide of revolt, subversive of law and order." While acting as Chancellor, Strong favored harsh disciplinary policies, and was upset that

Clark Kerr Clark Kerr (May 17, 1911 – December 1, 2003) was an American professor of economics and academic administrator. He was the first chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, and twelfth president of the University of California. B ...

had made certain concessions to the "student rebels" involved in the

. Strong's actions during the Free Speech Movement were harshly criticized by some students and faculty members for the approach he took to free speech activity on campus.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, Edward Leaders of the University of California, Berkeley 1990 deaths Stanford University alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni University of California, Berkeley faculty People from Berkeley, California 1901 births 20th-century American academics