Chester Harvey Rowell (November 1, 1867April 12, 1948) was an early leader of the

progressive movement Progressivism is a left-leaning political philosophy and reform movement that seeks to advance the human condition through social reform. Adherents hold that progressivism has universal application and endeavor to spread this idea to huma ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Biography

Born in

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census showed the city had a population of 78,680, making it the List of municipalities in Illinois, 13th-most populous ci ...

, he earned a degree from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1888. His father was

Jonathan H. Rowell Jonathan Harvey Rowell (February 10, 1833 – May 15, 1908) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois. Biography Born in Haverhill, New Hampshire, Rowell attended Rock Creek School and later graduated from Eureka College, Illinois. During the Ci ...

, a U.S. congressman in Illinois. Rowell studied three years in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, including terms at the Universities of Halle, Berlin, Paris and Rome. In 1898 he became the editor and manager of the ''

Fresno Morning Republican The ''Fresno Morning Republican'' (also known as the ''Fresno Republican'', ''Fresno Weekly Republican'' or the ''Fresno Daily Republican'') was a newspaper serving Fresno, California from 1876 through 1932. It was founded by Dr. Chester Rowell ...

'', the newspaper founded by his uncle Dr. Chester Rowell. He remained as editor for 22 years. In 1907, he was the co-founder and chairman (1907–1911) of the Lincoln-Roosevelt League, a coalition of progressive Republican activists. The league was instrumental in the election of

Hiram Johnson Hiram Warren Johnson (September 2, 1866August 6, 1945) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 23rd governor of California from 1911 to 1917 and represented California in the U.S. Senate for five terms from 1917 to 1945. Johns ...

as governor of California. In 1912, Rowell was a member of the sub-committee that wrote the national platforms for both the Republican and Progressive parties. He was appointed to the

Panama–Pacific International Exposition The Panama–Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California, United States, from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Its stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely s ...

Commission in 1911. Later, Rowell was a lecturer in journalism at the University of California, Berkeley (1911) and in political science at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

(1927–1934). He was editor of the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'' (1932–1939). He was a member of the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

Board of Regents from 1914 until shortly before his death in 1948. He took an interest in the

popularization of science Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad ranging. It may be written ...

. He also served on the board of trustees for Science Service, now known as

Society for Science & the Public Society for Science, formerly known as Science Service and later Society for Science and the Public, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of science, through its science education programs and publications, including ...

, from 1921 to 1923.

Notes

References

*Starr, Kevin, ''Inventing the Dream California Through the Progressive Era'', Oxford University Press (1985), chap. 8 *Winchell, L.A., ''History of Fresno County and the San Joaquin Valley'' (1933), p. 290-291 * https://web.archive.org/web/20131002130533/http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/~ucalhist/general_history/overview/regents/biographies_r.html

External links

*
Guide to the Chester H. Rowell Papers
at

The Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library is the primary special-collections library of the University of California, Berkeley. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity. ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowell, Chester Harvey 1867 births 1948 deaths People from Bloomington, Illinois Stanford University Department of Political Science faculty University of Michigan alumni California Progressives (1912) California Republicans