John Edwin Pomfret
| John Edwin Pomfret | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 20th President of the College of William & Mary | |
|
In office 1942–1951 | |
| Preceded by | John Stewart Bryan |
| Succeeded by | Alvin Duke Chandler |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 21, 1898 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died |
November 26, 1981 (aged 83) Camden, South Carolina |
| Spouse(s) | Sara Wise, m. August 28, 1926 |
| Children | John Dana |
| Parents |
Edwin Pomfret Mary (O'Rorke) Pomfret |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania, A.B., M.A., Ph.D. |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
| Known for | historian of Colonial America, especially New Jersey |
| Awards |
-LL.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1943 -LL.D., University of Chattanooga (now University of Tennessee at Chattanooga), 1949 -LL.D., Mills College, 1958 -Litt.D., University of Southern California, 1966 -Litt.D., Claremont Graduate School and University Center, 1966 -Tailteann Award in nonfiction for The Struggle for Land in Ireland -Graphic Arts Award for one of fifty best books of the year, for California Gold Rush Voyages -State and Local History award for The Province of East New Jersey. |
| [1] | |
John Edwin Pomfret (September 21, 1898 – November 26, 1981)[2] was the director of the Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery from 1951 to his retirement in 1966. He was the twentieth president of the College of William & Mary, serving from 1942 to 1951.[3] There he collaborated with Colonial Williamsburg in founding the Institute of Early American History and Culture. Pomfret resigned in 1951 in the wake of a grade changing scandal involving the college's football team.[4] The college's board of visitors, fractured and fractious, censured Pomfret, although he had no knowledge of the misconduct when it was occurring. A number of board members wanted bigtime football. Pomfret wanted to deemphasize football. He had been planning to resign to go to the Huntington. During the scandal, he told the Huntington board that he would withdraw his acceptance of its offer. The Huntington, after investigating the situation at William & Mary, told him to come ahead. Before taking up his duties at William & Mary, he was a dean at Vanderbilt and an associate professor of history at Princeton. A distinguished scholar, he was the author of a number of books. His papers from his time as president can be found at the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William and Mary.[5] A full account of his career and an assessment of his personality by Allan Nevins will be found in Pomfret's festschrift, The Reinterpretation of Early American History, edited by Ray Allen Billington (The Huntington Library, San Marino, CA, 1966).
Memberships
- Phi Beta Kappa (member of senate, 1943–55; vice-president, United Chapters, 1946–51)
- Pi Kappa Alpha
- American Antiquarian Society
- Massachusetts Historical Society
- Franklin Inn Club (Philadelphia)
- Sunset Club (Los Angeles)
- Twilight Club (Pasadena)
Writings
- Pomfret, John Edwin (1930). The Struggle for Land in Ireland. Princeton University Press.
- Pomfret, John Edwin (1935). The Geographic Pattern of Mankind. Appleton.
- Pomfret, John Edwin (1954). The Province of West New Jersey. Princeton University Press.
- Pomfret, John Edwin (1962). The Province of East New Jersey. Princeton University Press.
- Pomfret, John Edwin (1969). A History of the Huntington Library and Art Gallery. Henry E. Huntington.
- Pomfret, John Edwin (1970). Founding the American Colonies. Harper.
- Pomfret, John Edwin (1973). Colonial New Jersey, a History. Scribner.
- Pomfret, John Edwin, ed. (1954). California Gold Rush Voyages. Huntington Library.
- Pomfret, John Edwin, ed. (1954). Twelve Americans Speak. Huntington Library.
- Pomfret, John Edwin, ed. (1964). The New Jersey Proprietors and Their Lands. Van Nostrand.
References
- ↑ "John Edwin Pomfret". Contemporary Authors Online (Fee, via Fairfax County Public Library). Detroit: Gale. 2003. Gale Document Number: GALE|H1000079025. Retrieved 2011-09-06. Gale Biography In Context.
- ↑ White, James Terry, ed. (1960). The National Cyclopaedia of American biography, Volume 1. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
- ↑ "Pomfret, John Edwin". Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William & Mary. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ↑ "Pomfret, John Edwin". Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William & Mary. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
- ↑ "Office of the President. John Edwin Pomfret". Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William and Mary. Retrieved 26 January 2011.