Benjamin Rush Rhees ( 08 February 1860–05 January 1939) was the third president of the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants Undergraduate education, undergraduate and graduate degrees, including Doctorate, do ...

, serving from 1900 to 1935.

Education

Rhees, great-grandson of radical Baptist minister Morgan John Rhys, earned his undergraduate degrees from Amherst College where he was a member of

Alpha Delta Phi Alpha Delta Phi (), commonly known as Alpha Delt, ADPhi, A-Delt, or ADP, is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. Alpha Delta Phi was originally founded as a literary society by Samuel Eells in 1832 at Hamilton College in Cli ...

. He graduated from the Hartford Theological Seminary and was ordained a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christianity, Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe ...

minister.

President of the University of Rochester

He served in the position from 1900 to 1935. When he arrived at the University, it had been without a president for four years. Under his tenure,

George Eastman George Eastman (July 12, 1854March 14, 1932) was an American entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak Company and helped to bring the photographic use of roll film into the mainstream. He was a major philanthropist, establishing the East ...

became a donor to the University, contributing in the largest capacity the University had seen. The

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music ...

was begun during Rhees' tenure, as was the University's

medical center Medical center or medical centre may refer to: Medical care * A collection of medical services on the same site, such as the services of a general practitioner, pharmacist, pathology, radiology, dentist etc. * Clinic * Hospital * Academic medic ...

and the College for Women (1902). Also during his tenure the Institute of Optics, the first such entity in the New World, was founded in 1929. Additionally, Rhees' administration was responsible for moving the campus from Prince Street to its current home on the River Campus (formerly Oak Hill golf course), with a groundbreaking in 1927. RushRheesLibraryMemorialDayPortrait

Rush Rhees Library, the main academic library of the University of Rochester, established in 1930 was named after him, as during his tenure, the school went from a small college to a research university.

Family

Rhees and his wife Harriet Chapin Seelye (daughter of L. Clark Seelye) were the parents of Rush Rhees, a

Wittgenstein Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian- British philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. He is consid ...

scholar and one of the philosopher's literary executors.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhees, Benjamin Rush Presidents of the University of Rochester 1860 births 1939 deaths Amherst College alumni Hartford Seminary alumni People from Chicago