Charles Francis Meserve (1850–1936) was an American educator, university president, academic administrator, and author. He served as president of Shaw University from 1894 to 1919, a historically Black university in Raleigh, North Carolina.[1][2]
Charles Francis Meserve | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 3rd President of Shaw University | |
| In office 1894–1919 | |
| Preceded by | Nicholas Franklin Roberts |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Leishman Peacock |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 15, 1850 Abington, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | April 20, 1935 Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Resting place | Pine Grove Cemetery, Waterville, Maine, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Abbie Mary Whittier, Fannie J. Philbrick |
| Alma mater | Colby College |
| Occupation | Educator, university president, academic administrator, author |
Early life and education
editCharles Francis Meserve was born on July 15, 1850, in Abington, Massachusetts.[3][2] His parents were Susan Smith Blanchard and Charles Meserve, a shoemaker and farmer. His family was descendants of Clement Meserve, a native from the Isle of Jersey (now Jersey) who emigrated to the United States in 1673.[3] Meserve attended Waterville Classical Institute (later known as Coburn Classical Institute) for three years.[3]
In 1873, he enrolled in Colby College; where he graduated with an A.B. degree in 1877; an A.M. degree in 1880; and a LL.D. degree in 1899.[3]
Career
edit
After graduation Meserve worked as principal of the high school in Rockland, Massachusetts (1877 to 1885), and at the Oak Street School in Springfield, Massachusetts (1885 to 1889).[3] This was followed by a role as superintendent of the Haskell Institute (now Haskell Indian Nations University) in Lawrence, Kansas (1889 to 1894).[3]
From 1894 until 1919, Meserve served as president of Shaw University.[3] Under his leadership Shaw University improved the curriculum, and increased the size of the industrial department.[2]
He was a Baptist and was licensed to preach at a specific church, the First Baptist Church in Raleigh, but he was not ordained.[2] Merserve helped found the Capon Springs Conference (later known as the Conference on Education for the South) in Capon Springs, West Virginia.[2] He also gave lectures on "Indian and negro problems".[2]
Death and archives
editHe died on April 20, 1935, in Raleigh, North Carolina.[4] He is buried at Pine Grove Cemetery in Waterville, Maine.
The National Archives and Records Administration contains a 1897 letter from Meserve to Daniel M. Browning concerning the recent punishment of Richard Henry Pratt.[5] The W. E. B. Du Bois Papers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst library contains a 1908 letter from Meserve to Du Bois.[6] The American Baptist Historical Society Repository contains his papers.[7]
Personal life
editHe was married to Abbie Mary Whittier from 1878 until her death in 1898, together they had one daughter.[2] In 1900, Merserve married Fannie J. Philbrick.[2]
Merserve was a member of the Republican party.[2]
Writings
edit- Meserve, Charles Francis (1894). A Tour of Observation Among Indians and Indian Schools; In Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Kansas. Office of the Indian Rights Association.
- Meserve, Charles Francis (1896). The Dawes Commission and the Five Civilized Tribes of Indian Territory. Five Civilized Tribes Commission. Office of the Indian Rights Association.
- Meserve, Charles Francis (1928). Shell Heaps at Damariscotta. Bath Daily Times.
- Meserve, Charles Francis (1930). Abington's Part in the Building of a Great Commonwealth and a Powerful Nation. Squirrel Island, Maine.
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References
edit
- ^ Amis, Moses Neal (1913). Historical Raleigh. With sketches of Wake County (from 1771) and its important towns; descriptive, biographical, educational, industrial, religious. The Library of Congress. Raleigh, N.C., Commercial Printing Co. p. 110 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Ashe, Samuel A'Court (1905). Biographical History of North Carolina From Colonial Times to the Present. New York Public Library. Greensboro, N.C., C.L. Van Noppen. pp. 342–348 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b c d e f g Carroll, Grady L. E. (1991). "Meserve, Charles Francis". NCpedia. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
- ^ "Dr. Charles F. Meserve; President for 25 Years of haw University for Negroes". The New York Times. April 22, 1936. p. 23. ISSN 0362-4331.
- ^ "Charles Meserve Writes Concerning the Punishment of Pratt". Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center. Dickinson College. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
- ^ "Letter from Charles F. Meserve to W. E. B. Du Bois, January 13, 1908". University of Massachusetts Amherst library. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
- ^ "Collection: Meserve, Charles Francis". American Baptist Historical Society. Retrieved 2023-05-12.