John Randolph Hubbard (December 3, 1918 – August 21, 2011) was an American educator, academic administrator, and diplomat who served as the eighth president of the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

from 1970 and 1980.

Early life and education

Hubbard was born and raised in

Belton, Texas Belton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas on the Interstate 35 corridor between Austin and Waco. Belton is the county seat of Bell County and is the fifth largest city in the Killeen-Temple metropolitan area. In 2020, the population of Belton ...

. He earned his Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and PhD in history from the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

. As an undergraduate at the University of Texas, he became a member of the

Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active colonies across North America. It was founded at Yale College in 1844 by fiftee ...

fraternity.

Career

After serving as the private secretary to the commissioner of the Interstate Commerce Commission from 1938 to 1941, Hubbard became a pilot in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, winning four Air Medals. Hubbard participated in Navy flight training with Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., the older brother of

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

Academics

Hubbard began his career in academics as assistant professor at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

. He later became a visiting professor at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, and later served as dean and professor of history at

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

. Hubbard became the eighth president of the

in 1970, succeeding

Norman Topping Norman Topping (1908 – 18 November 1997) was the President of the University of Southern California between 1958 and 1970. He succeeded Fred D. Fagg, Jr., and was succeeded by John R. Hubbard. He was chancellor between 1971 and 1980. He beca ...

. He had served as USC vice president and provost in 1969 after spending four years in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

as chief education adviser to the

United States Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 b ...

. In 1970, USC became a member of the

Association of American Universities The Association of American Universities (AAU) is an organization of American research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education. Founded in 1900, it consists of 63 universities in the United States ( ...

. Between 1970 and 1980, USC rose from 33 to 19 in

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

federal research rankings and applications rose from 4,100 to more than 11,000. Hubbard's Toward Century II campaign, started in 1976, raised more than $306 million. During his time as president, Hubbard also became friendly with Gerald Ford, and the two placed wagers on the outcome of the

1977 Rose Bowl The 1977 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1977. It was the 63rd Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans, champions of the Pacific-8 Conference, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, champions of the Big Ten Conference, USC q ...

during a campaign stop. Hubbard left USC in 1980, and was succeeded as President by

James Zumberge James Herbert Zumberge (December 27, 1923 – April 15, 1992) was a professor of geology and president of Grand Valley State University from 1962 to 1969, of Southern Methodist University from 1975 to 1980, and of the University of Southern C ...

Ambassador to India

He served as the

United States Ambassador to India The United States Ambassador to India is the chief diplomatic representative of United States in India. The U.S. Ambassador's office is situated at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. Chiefs of Mission to India U.S. Ambassadors to the Dominion o ...

from 1988 to 1989 under President George H. W. Bush.

Later career

Hubbard continued to teach history during his term as president and afterward, until shortly before his death. Hubbard served on the USC Board of Trustees. USC's Student Services building was renamed John Hubbard Hall in September 2003. Hubbard was awarded honorary degrees from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Westminster College, the

College of the Ozarks College of the Ozarks is a private Christian college in Point Lookout, Missouri. The college has an enrollment of 1,426 and over 30 academic majors in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science programs.https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/college ...

, and

USC Gould School of Law The USC Gould School of Law, located in Los Angeles, California, is the law school of the University of Southern California. The oldest law school in the Southwestern United States, USC Law traces its beginnings to 1896 and became affiliated w ...

Personal life

Hubbard was a lifelong Republican, but supported the

John Kerry 2004 presidential campaign The 2004 presidential campaign of John Kerry, the longtime U.S. senator from Massachusetts, began when he formed an exploratory committee on December 1, 2002. On September 2, 2003, he formally announced his candidacy for Democratic nomination. ...

. Hubbard died in

Rancho Mirage, California Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal (part-time) population can exceed 20,000. Incorporated in 1973 and locate ...

on August 12, 2011 at the age of 92.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbard, John R. 1918 births 2011 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to India People of the United States Agency for International Development Presidents of the University of Southern California American historians University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts alumni College of the Ozarks alumni Tulane University faculty Louisiana State University faculty Yale University faculty Place of birth missing Place of death missing