David Starr Jordan
| David Starr Jordan | |
|---|---|
 |
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| President of Indiana University | |
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In office 1884–1891 |
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| Preceded by | Lemuel Moss |
| Succeeded by | John Merle Coulter |
| First President of Stanford University | |
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In office 1891–1913 |
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| Preceded by | none |
| Succeeded by | John C. Branner |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 19, 1851 Wyoming County, New York |
| Died | September 19, 1931 (aged 80) Stanford, California |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Bowen Jordan, Jessie Knight Jordan |
| Children | Knight Starr Jordan, Eric Knight Jordan, Barbara Jordan |
| Alma mater | Cornell University |
| Profession | Ichthyologist, University President |
David Starr Jordan (January 19, 1851 – September 19, 1931) was an American ichthyologist, educator, eugenicist, and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and was the founding president of Stanford University.
Jordan was born in Gainesville, New York, and grew up on a farm in upstate New York. His parents made the unorthodox decision to educate him at a local girls' high school. He was part of the pioneer class of undergraduates at Cornell University, graduating with a degree in botany. He obtained graduate education from Butler University and the Indiana University School of Medicine. While at Cornell, Jordan joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity.
His first wife Susan Bowen died after 10 years of marriage and he then married Jessie Knight, with whom he had four children.
He was inspired by Louis Agassiz to pursue his studies in ichthyology. He taught natural history courses at several small Midwestern colleges before joining the natural history faculty of Indiana University Bloomington in 1879. In 1885, he was named President of Indiana University, becoming the nation's youngest university president at age 34 and the first Indiana University president that was not an ordained minister. He improved the university's finances and public image, doubled its enrollment, and instituted an elective system which, like Cornell's, was an early application of the modern liberal arts curriculum.
In March 1891, he was approached by Leland and Jane Stanford, who offered him the presidency of their about-to-open California university, Leland Stanford Junior University. He had been recommended to the Stanfords by the president of Cornell, Andrew White. His educational philosophy was a good fit with the Stanfords' vision of a non-sectarian, co-educational school with a liberal arts curriculum, and after consulting his wife he accepted the offer on the spot. Jordan arrived at Stanford in June 1891 and immediately set about recruiting faculty for the university's planned September opening. With such a short time frame he drew heavily on his own acquaintance in academia; of the fifteen founding professors, most came either from Indiana University or his alma mater Cornell. During his first year at Stanford he was instrumental in establishing the university's Hopkins Marine Station. He served Stanford as president until 1913 and then chancellor until his retirement in 1916. While chancellor, he was also elected president of the National Education Association.
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