Harry Pratt Judson

Harry Pratt Judson (1849-1927) "was one of many educators tapped by William Rainey Harper to begin the work of the University of Chicago...

"After Harper himself, Judson was in fact the second faculty member to begin work in Chicago, arriving in June 1892 to help organize the myriad details of the educational program before classes began in October."


 * Professor of Political Science and Head Dean of the Colleges 1892-1894
 * Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science 1894-1923
 * Dean of the Faculties of Arts, Literature, and Science 1894-1907
 * Acting President 1906-1907
 * President 1907-1923

"Appointed acting president immediately upon Harper's death in early 1906, Judson was named president in his own right by the trustees a year later. Judson's conservative fiscal policies came as a relief to the Rockefellers, who had grown steadily more concerned about the University's annual deficits. Within two years of his appointment, Judson brought the University's budget into balance, and he maintained it in the black for the remainder of his administration.

"Judson's cordial relations with the Rockefellers led to his involvement in several of the family's philanthropies, including the Rockefeller Foundation and the General Education Board."