Nathan M. Pusey

Nathan M. Pusey
President of Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
In office
1971–1975
Preceded by Charles Hamilton
Succeeded by John Edward Sawyer
24th President of Harvard University
In office
1953–1971
Preceded by James Bryant Conant
Succeeded by Derek Curtis Bok
President of Lawrence University
In office
1944–1953
Preceded by Thomas Nichols Barrows
Succeeded by Douglas Maitland Knight
Personal details
Born Nathan Marsh Pusey
(1907-04-04)April 4, 1907
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Died November 14, 2001(2001-11-14) (aged 94)
New York City, New York
Spouse(s) Anne (Woodward) Pusey[1]
Children Nathan M. Pusey Jr., James R. Pusey, Rosemary (Pusey) Hopkins[1]
Alma mater Harvard University
Religion Episcopalian[2]

Nathan Marsh Pusey (April 4, 1907 November 14, 2001) was a prominent American university educator.

Early life and education

Pusey was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to John and Rosa Pusey.[3] He was educated at Harvard College (B.A.), and received M.A. (1928) and Ph.D (1937) degrees from Harvard where he studied English literature and ancient history.

Educational career

Pusey's first teaching post after he graduated was at Riverdale Country School. He then served at Lawrence College, Scripps College, and Wesleyan University. He served as president of Lawrence College (1944–1953), and later as the 24th president of Harvard University (1953–1971).

During his presidency of Harvard, Pusey overhauled the admissions process, which had been biased heavily in favor of the alumni of New England-based boarding schools, and began admitting public school graduates on the basis of scores obtained on standardized tests such as the SAT. This was highly controversial with the school's alumni population, but set the stage for the diversification of the student body and faculty.

Political positions

Pusey vigorously opposed McCarthyism in the 1950s and supported the US Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. His clashes with Joseph McCarthy were especially significant because Pusey's position at Lawrence College placed him in the senator's hometown (Appleton, Wisconsin) and amid the political power base of the then-conservative Fox Valley. As president of the college, Pusey held the community's respect, and his vocal criticisms of McCarthy resounded loudly in the area. Pusey was a deeply religious man and a somewhat traditionalist scholar, and he was appalled by the student radicalism that raged in American universities in the late 1960s.

He complained bitterly that "learning has almost ceased" in many universities because of the violent, revolutionary activities of a "small group of overeager young... who feel they have a special calling to redeem society." In April 1969, student activists occupied Harvard's University Hall (the building that housed most of the administrative offices) in protest over the presence of ROTC on campus at the height of the Vietnam War, and in response, Pusey summoned the police to arrest the demonstrators. Although his action was legal, it was widely criticized, and the resulting furor probably contributed to his early retirement in 1971. After his time at Harvard, Pusey was president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (1971–1975) and president of the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (1979–1980).

Published works

Notes

  1. 1 2 The Harvard Crimson
  2. NATHAN PUSEY DEAD AT 94 Harvard’s 24th President Passes Away, Cambridge, MA.: The Harvard Crimson, 15 November 2001
  3. Yarrow, Andrew L. (15 November 2001), Nathan Pusey, Harvard President Through Growth and Turmoil Alike, Dies at 94, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times, p. Section D page 11
Academic offices
Preceded by
Thomas Nichols Barrows
President of Lawrence University
19441953
Succeeded by
Douglas Maitland Knight
Preceded by
James B. Conant
President of Harvard University
19531971
Succeeded by
Derek C. Bok
Preceded by
Charles Hamilton
President of Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
19711975
Succeeded by
John Edward Sawyer
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