Benjamin Rush Rhees
| Benjamin Rush Rhees | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 3rd President of the University of Rochester | |
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In office 1900–1935 |
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| Preceded by | David Jayne Hill |
| Succeeded by | Alan C. Valentine |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 8, 1860 Chicago, Illinois |
| Died | January 4, 1939 (aged 78) Rochester, New York |
| Resting place | Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse(s) | Harriet Chapin Seelye Rhees |
| Children | Morgan John Rhees Henrietta Seelye Rhees Stewart Rush Rhees, Jr |
| Parents | John E. Rhees Annie H. McCutchen |
| Alma mater | Amherst College, Hartford Theological Seminary |
| Profession | Administrator |
Rev. Benjamin Rush Rhees (1860–1939) was the third president of the University of Rochester, serving from 1900-1935.
Rhees earned his undergraduate degrees from Amherst College where he was a member of Alpha Delta Phi. He graduated from the Hartford Theological Seminary and was ordained a Baptist minister.
He served in the position from 1900 to 1935. When he arrived at the University, it had been without a president for four years.
Under his tenure, George Eastman became a donor to the University, contributing in the largest capacity the University had seen. The Eastman School of Music was begun during Rhees' tenure, as was the University's medical center and the College for Women (1902). Also during his tenure the Institute of Optics, the first such entity in the New World, was founded in 1929. Additionally, Rhees' administration was responsible for moving the campus from Prince Street to its current home on the River Campus (formerly Oak Hill golf course), with a groundbreaking in 1927.
Rush Rhees Library, the main academic library of the University of Rochester, established in 1930 was named after him, as during his tenure, the school went from a small college to a research university..
His son Rush Rhees was a Wittgenstein scholar and one of the philosopher's literary executors.
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