William Thomas Reid (November 8, 1843 – December 17, 1922) was an American educator who served as the Fourth President of the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Franci ...

from 1881 to 1885.

Early life

Reid was born on November 8, 1843, on a farm outside Jacksonville, Illinois. He entered

Illinois College Illinois College is a private liberal arts college in Jacksonville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA). It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree ( ...

in 1859 but left in 1861 to join the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

. He served until the end of the war as a member of the 68th Illinois Infantry Regiment and later as the commander of the prison camp in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...

. He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1868 and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1872. On August 16, 1870, he married Julia Reed in Jacksonville, Illinois.

Career

From 1868 to 1871, Reid was the headmaster of Newport High School in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...

. He then served as first assistant to the headmaster of the Boston Latin School. From 1873 to 1875 he was the superintendent of schools in Brookline, Massachusetts. In 1875, Reid moved to California, where he served as the headmaster of the Boys' High School in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. From 1881 to 1885, Reid was president of the University of California. Soon after Reid took office, written entrance examinations replaced oral tests and the scope of the examinations for literary and science courses were expanded. Examinations were in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and

Marysville, California Marysville is a city and the county seat of Yuba County, California, located in the Gold Country region of Northern California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 12,072, reflecting a decrease of 196 from the 12,268 counted ...

, so students could take the tests without having to travel all the way to

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

. During Reid's tenure, the University hired noted professors

George Herbert Palmer George Herbert Palmer (March 9, 1842 – May 7, 1933) was an American scholar and author. He was a graduate, and then professor at Harvard University. He is also known for his published works, like the English translations of Homer#Palmer, transla ...

and

Josiah Royce Josiah Royce (; November 20, 1855 – September 14, 1916) was an American objective idealist philosopher and the founder of American idealism. His philosophical ideas included his version of personalism, defense of absolutism, idealism and his ...

. In 1885, Reid founded the Belmont School in

Belmont, California Belmont is a city in San Mateo County in the U.S. state of California. It is in the San Francisco Bay Area, on the San Francisco Peninsula about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. Known for its wooded hills, views of the San Franci ...

. In 1893 it merged with the Hopkins Academy to form the Belmont School, W. T. Reid Foundation. He retired in 1918.

Death

Reid died at his home in Berkeley on December 17, 1922. He was survived by his son, Harvard football coach William Thomas Reid Jr.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, W T 1843 births 1922 deaths Harvard University alumni Leaders of the University of California, Berkeley People from Jacksonville, Illinois People from Berkeley, California School superintendents in Massachusetts Union Army soldiers University of California regents