Joseph Swain (June 16, 1857 – May 19, 1927) served as the ninth president of

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

and also as the sixth president of

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

Summary

Education

*Indiana University Bloomington (B.L. 1883, M.S. 1885) *

Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832, by a group of Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, the institution was originally named "The Wabash Teachers Seminary an ...

(LL.D. 1893)

Career

*Professor of mathematics and biology at Indiana University Bloomington (1883–1891) *Professor of mathematics 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 ...

(1891–1893) *President of Indiana University (1893–1902) *President of Swarthmore College (1902–1921)

Biography

Joseph Swain was Indiana University's first Indiana-born president. He was born in

Pendleton, Indiana Pendleton is a town in Fall Creek Township, Madison County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,717 at the 2020 census, up from 4,253 in 2010. History Pendleton was platted in 1830, and incorporated as a town in 1854. It was named for ...

, to Woolston and Mary A. Swain. Swain attended IU as an undergraduate and graduate student. He matriculated in 1879 and graduated with a B.L. degree in 1883. From 1883–1885, he was an instructor of mathematics and biology at Indiana University while he completed his graduate education and graduated with a M.S. degree in 1885. Starting in 1885, Swain was an associate professor of mathematics until 1886, where he then was professor for five years until 1891. He left his professorship at IU in 1891 to follow departing IU president

David Starr Jordan David Starr Jordan (January 19, 1851 – September 19, 1931) was the founding president of Stanford University, serving from 1891 to 1913. He was an ichthyologist during his research career. Prior to serving as president of Stanford Universi ...

, where he taught as a professor of mathematics. In 1893, Swain received an honorary

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

degree from Wabash College. Swain returned to IU in 1893 to serve as IU's ninth president, succeeding John Coulter. He met Frances M. Morgan, of Knightstown, Indiana, while teaching at IU and they went on to marry on September 22, 1885. Swain accepted the invitation to serve as President for

in 1902 until 1921. He retired from Swarthmore in 1921 as President Emeritus and died six years later from heart disease in

Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania Clifton Heights is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, located on Darby Creek west of downtown Philadelphia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,863. History The demographics of the greater Delaware Valley we ...

, on May 19, 1927. He is buried in his hometown of Pendleton in Friends Cemetery.

Indiana University Administration

Swain served as IU's president from 1893 to 1902. During that time, he established Kirkwood Hall in 1894; a gymnasium for men in 1896, which later was named

Assembly Hall An assembly hall is a hall to hold public meetings or meetings of an organization such as a school, church, or deliberative assembly. An example of the last case is the Assembly Hall (Washington, Mississippi) where the general assembly of the s ...

; Kirkwood Observatory in 1900; and he began construction for Science Hall in 1901. During his presidency, student enrollment increased from 524 to 1,285.

Associations

Swain was the ex-president of the Indiana State Teachers Association, member of the Section on Higher Education of the National Council on Education, member of the World Peace Foundation and served as president of the N.E.A. from 1913–1914.

Tributes

In 1940, Indiana University opened a new physical science building which they called Swain Hall (now known as Swain Hall West). In 1960, The building was expanded by the incorporation of the former Biology Hall, which became Swain Hall East. The entire complex is known as Swain Hall. In 2016, Indiana University renamed the Student Building to the Frances Morgan Swain Student Building to honor his wife Frances for her work in trying to increase women enrollments and make it easier for women to acquire a college education during the 1890s.

References

External links

* * This source claims he made post-graduate studies in Scotland.
Indiana University President's Office records, 1893-1902, Indiana University Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swain, Joseph 1857 births 1927 deaths Wabash College alumni Indiana University Bloomington alumni Indiana University Bloomington faculty Stanford University Department of Mathematics faculty Presidents of Swarthmore College People from Pendleton, Indiana Presidents of Indiana University