Charles Ashmead Schaeffer (August 14, 1843 – September 23, 1898) was a chemist
who served as the seventh President of the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...
, serving from 1887 to 1898.
Early life
Schaeffer was born on August 14, 1843, in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...
. He was the son of Rev.
Charles William Schaeffer, the prominent Lutheran clergyman,
and
Elizabeth Fry Ashmead Schaeffer.
Schaeffer graduated from the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
in 1861. From 1863 to 1865, he studied at
Lawrence Scientific School
The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) is the engineering education, engineering school within Harvard University's Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, offering degrees in eng ...
at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. He received his PhD from the
University of Göttingen
The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...
in 1868.
Career
From 1887 to 1898, Schaeffer served as the seventh President of the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...
.
Personal life
Schaeffer was married to Evelyn Schuyler (1846–1942), the daughter of
George W. Schuyler, who served as
New York State Treasurer The New York State Treasurer was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York (state), New York between 1776 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities ...
, and sister of
Eugene Schuyler
Eugene Schuyler (February 26, 1840 – July 16, 1890) was a nineteenth-century United States, American scholar, writer, explorer and diplomat. Schuyler was one of the first three Americans to earn a Ph.D. from an American university; and the firs ...
, the writer and diplomat. Together, they were the parents of four children, including:
* Elizabeth Ashmead Schaeffer (1872–1945)
Schaeffer died unexpectedly at the age of 55 in
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, fifth-most populous c ...
.
References
Further reading
*Horton, Loren N.
Schaeffer, Charles Ashmead The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa. University of Iowa Press, 2009. Accessed December 8, 2016
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schaeffer, Charles Ashmead
Presidents of the University of Iowa
1843 births
1898 deaths
19th-century American educators
Cornell University faculty