Elmer Ellis (July 27, 1901 – August 27, 1989) was an American educator and fourteenth president of the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

from 1955 to 1966, and first president of the

University of Missouri System The University of Missouri System is an American state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, and ten research and technology parks. Over 61,500 students (Fall 202 ...

. He was instrumental in the expansion of the university to include the

University of Missouri–Kansas City The University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC or Kansas City) is a Public university, public research university in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. UMKC is part of the University of Missouri System and has a UMKC School of Medicine, medic ...

and

University of Missouri–St. Louis The University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) is a Public university, public research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Established in 1963, it is the newest of the four universities in the University of Missouri System. Located ...

. Ellis Library was named in his honor.

Early life and education

Elmer Ellis was born in Anamoose, North Dakota, to Thomas Ellis and Lillie Butterfield. He attended high school in

Towner, North Dakota Towner is a city in and the county seat of McHenry County, North Dakota, McHenry County, North Dakota. The population was 479 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Minot, North Dakota, Minot Minot micropolit ...

, graduating in the spring of 1920. During his sophomore year of high school he met Ruth Clapper, and by his senior year they were engaged to be married. After working as a farmhand during the summer, he enrolled at

Fargo College Fargo College was a coeducational institution in Fargo, North Dakota. History Fargo College was founded in 1888 under the auspices of the Congregational Church. At the close of 1919, there were 32 professors and instructors, and 602 students. The ...

for the fall 1920 semester. He spent one year at Fargo University, after which he began teaching two classes at a primary school in

Bottineau County, North Dakota Bottineau County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,379. and was estimated to be 6,391 in 2024, The county seat and the largest city is Bottineau. Bottineau County has been known to have ...

. Ellis attended the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (UND) is a Public university, public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. It was established by the Dakota Territory, Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishm ...

, where he earned his bachelor of arts in 1924 and his master of arts in 1925. After a five year engagement, Ellis and Ruth married on August 14, 1925, in Fargo. After graduating from the University of North Dakota, Ellis taught as a history professor at the North Dakota State Teachers College from 1925 to 1928. He enrolled at 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 ...

in 1928 and taught in the history department until he graduated with his Ph.D. in 1930.

University of Missouri

Ellis was offered a position as an assistant professor of history by the

in 1929. He accepted this position in 1930, and in June 1930, he and Ruth moved to

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in Missouri, United States. It was founded in 1821 as the county seat of Boone County, Missouri, Boone County and had a population of 126,254 as recorded in the 2020 United States census, making it the List of cities in Misso ...

. Ellis worked in this position until 1932 when he was promoted to an associate professor to which he held until 1945. In 1945 he was named the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Ellis took a sabbatical in 1951, and with a teaching grant through the

Fulbright Program The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

, he and Ruth moved to the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

where Ellis taught for a year in the American Institute at the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...

. In 1955, Ellis was appointed as the temporary president of the

, and after seven months, he formally accepted the position. Prior to this promotion he served on the

Department of the Army Historical Advisory Committee The Department of the Army Historical Advisory Committee was established in January 1947 within the United States Army. In 1996, it was made a subcommittee of the Department of Defense Historical Advisory Committee. History The Department of the A ...

from 1954 to 1956. Shortly after he became the university president, he began work as the co-chairman on the Missouri Committee on Education Beyond High School. The committee suggested that the state government should establish a permanent statewide commission on higher education and a program to provide state aid to junior colleges. Ellis was instrumental in the creation of the

, which was established in 1963. Prior to its creation, Ellis lobbied Missouri Governor John M. Dalton, working closely with the Missouri School of Mines, the University of Kansas City, and the city of

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, to establish the four-campus system. Ellis served as the first president of the UM System, serving from 1963 until his retirement in 1966.

Later life

After Ellis' retirement in 1966, he was asked to provide consultation at the

University of Valle The University of Valle (), also called Univalle, is a public, departmental, coeducational, research university based primarily in the city of Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. It is the largest higher education institution by student populatio ...

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, to which he provided for six months. He served on the

Stephens College Stephens College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Timeline of women's colleges in the United States#First and oldest, the second-oldest women's educa ...

Board of Curators, the Boone National Savings and Loan Association Board, as chairman of the

Truman Library The Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and resting place of Harry S Truman, the 33rd president of the United States (1945–1953), his wife Bess and daughter Margaret, and is located on U.S. Highw ...

Board, and on the

State Historical Society of Missouri The State Historical Society of Missouri, a private membership and state funded organization, is a comprehensive research facility located in Columbia, Missouri, specializing in the preservation and study of Missouri's cultural heritage. Estab ...

Executive Committee. Ellis died on August 27, 1989.

Bibliography

*''Mr. Dooley's America: A Life of

Finley Peter Dunne Finley Peter Dunne (born Peter Dunne; July 10, 1867 – April 24, 1936) was an American humorist, journalist and writer from Chicago. In 1898 Dunne published ''Mr. Dooley in Peace and in War'', his first collection of the nationally syndicated M ...

'' (1941) *''Henry Teller Moore: Defender of the West'' (1941) *

References

External links