James Arnold Blaisdell (December 15, 1867January 29, 1957) was an American minister, theologian, and academic administrator. He was the fourth president of

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalists who wanted to recreate a "college of the New England type" in Southern California. In 1925, it became t ...

(1910–1927) and founder and "head fellow" of the

Claremont Colleges The Claremont Colleges (known colloquially as the 7Cs) are a consortium of seven private institutions of higher education located in Claremont, California, United States. They comprise five undergraduate colleges (the 5Cs)— Pomona College, Sc ...

(1927–1935).

Life and career

He was born in

Beloit, Wisconsin Beloit is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 36,657 people. History Twelve men in Colebrook, New Hampshire, created the "New England Emigrating Company" in October 1836 and sen ...

; his father was a philosophy professor at

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Founded in 1846, when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and h ...

. Blaisdell graduated from Beloit College in 1889, and went on to become a minister in

Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha ( ) is the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Its population was 71,158 at the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Village of Waukesha. History The area tha ...

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

in 1910 and the College’s finances, success and visibility quickly increased. He envisioned what would become the

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 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 ...

. He became the head of the

Claremont University Consortium The Claremont Colleges (known colloquially as the 7Cs) are a consortium of seven private institutions of higher education located in Claremont, California, United States. They comprise five undergraduate colleges (the 5Cs)— Pomona College, Sc ...

in 1927, when he resigned as president of Pomona. 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. Claremont_blaisdell_park_2_marker_and_building

Claremont_blaisdell_park_2_marker_and_building

Blaisdell was honored by the city of Claremont with the dedication of a public park in his name in 1962.Blaisdell Family Association. ''Blaisdell Papers''. Volume 6, 1961, p.100 It is located on South College Avenue. He is buried in nearby Oak Park Cemetery in Claremont.

Life and career

References

Further reading