Raymond Allen Pearson (April 9, 1873 – February 13, 1939) was an American agricultural administrator and educator who served as the 7th president of

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the ...

from 1912 to 1926, the 20th president of

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

from 1926 to 1935.

Early life and education

He was born April 9, 1873, in Evansville, Indiana to Leonard and Lucy S. Pearson. He attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

and received his B.S. in 1894 and M.S. in 1899 from Cornell.

Agricultural Administration Career

After his graduation from Cornell University in 1894, he served as assistant chief of the dairy division of the United States Dept. of Agriculture until 1902, in the meanwhile earning his M.S. degree from Cornell University in 1899. From 1908 to 1912, he was the Commissioner of Agriculture for New York. While at Iowa State College he also served as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture during the war emergency period of 1917-18.

Academic and Academic Administration Career

From 1903 to 1908, he was a professor of dairy industry at

. In 1912, he began his tenure as the 7th president of

. During his administration at ISU the campus construction surpassed that of any other era prior to the post-World War II boom and 14 academic buildings in service during the 1970s were constructed during Pearson's term. He promoted the graduate program, broadened extension service; and gave wholehearted support to athletics. He became the 20th president of

in 1926 and served in that position until 1935. His main contribution to Maryland was a greatly expanded physical plant, both in Baltimore and College Park, with 13 buildings added, as well as additional acreage.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pearson, Raymond 1873 births Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni Presidents of Iowa State University Iowa State University faculty University of Maryland, College Park faculty 1939 deaths