Patrick Hues Mell (July 19, 1814 – January 26, 1888) was the president of the

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...

in two terms from 1863 to 1871 and from 1880 to 1887. He also served as chancellor of the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

(UGA) in

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from 1878 until his resignation in 1888. (The head of the university was referred to as chancellor instead of president, from 1860 until 1932).

Education and early life

Mell was born in

Walthourville, Georgia Walthourville () is a city in Liberty County, Georgia, United States. When it was incorporated in 1974, it had a government entirely composed of women; and in 1978 it elected Carrie Kent, the first African-American woman mayor in Georgia history. ...

, in 1814. He studied at local institutions until he entered

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

in 1833 at the age of 19. He studied there for two years but did not graduate with his class. By 1841 Mell had obtained a position at

Mercer University Mercer University is a Private university, private Research university, research university in Macon, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the s ...

as a professor of ancient languages. In 1856 he took a similar position at the University of Georgia. There he was appointed to vice-chancellor in 1860.

Religion

While working as a professor Mell also became very involved in religious works. He served as a pastor in several churches throughout his lifetime. In 1857 Mell was elected president of the

Georgia Baptist Convention The Georgia Baptist Mission Board is the executive committee of the Georgia Baptist Convention, which is a voluntary association of Baptist churches in the Georgia (U.S. state), U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is one of the List of ...

and three years later was named president of the

. Mell served a total of 16 years as SBC president, the most of any person holding the office, doing so for two separate stints of eight years each. He retained both positions until his death in Athens on January 26, 1888.

Publications

He also published many books on religious subjects: * ''Baptism in Its Mode and Subjects'' (1853) * ''Corrective Church Discipline'' (1860) * ''A Manual of Parliamentary Practice'' (1867) * ''The Doctrine of Prayer'' (1876)

Education career

In 1870, Mell introduced the first college course on parliamentary procedure at the University of Georgia. In 1878, the University of Georgia had fallen on hard times. Enrollment and support were in decline, and the school needed a strong leader. Despite his initial unwillingness to take the job, Mell reluctantly accepted the chancellorship, provided, among other things, that the Board of Trustees rescind its rule barring student

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(commonly known today as college

fraternities A fraternity (; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in the Western conce ...

). The ban had become a major source of conflict between students and faculty that Mell hoped to avoid. As a result of this action, the modern

Greek system Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family ** Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kn ...

that today comprises nearly one-fifth of UGA students owes its existence to Mell. Another issue Mell tackled was the Trustees' requirement for most students that they live in

dormitory A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...

housing provided by the university. Believing this to be a bad policy, Mell informed the Board that he could not enforce it. At his urging, they repealed the rule. Mell was also involved in the expansion of branch colleges. Branches of UGA colleges were established in Dahlonega, Cuthbert, Milledgeville, and Thomasville with only Dahlonega's still in existence. The school,

North Georgia College The University of North Georgia (UNG) is a public university with multiple campuses in Georgia, United States. It is part of the University System of Georgia. The university was established on January 8, 2013, through a merger of North Georgi ...

, was the first in the state to admit and award degrees to women. Another branch school that was an issue was the establishment of the School of Technology in the 1880s. Mell was a firm believer that it should be located at Athens with the university's main campus, like the Agricultural and Mechanical School. Despite Mell's arguments, the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...

(founded 1885) is today an entirely separate school located in

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, and is the chief

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of the Athens university.Life of Patrick Hues Mell: Efforts Towards Completing the Technological School as a Department of the University of Georgia
By 1888, Mell had become ill and resigned the chancellor's position; he died shortly thereafter. He was 73 years old.

Selected readings

* Samuel J. May Collection, Cornell * Hathi Trust * * * *

References