Ezra S. Carr
| Ezra Slocum Carr | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
March 9, 1819 Stephentown, New York |
| Died | November 27, 1894 (aged 75) Pasadena, California |
| Occupation | Professor of natural sciences and agriculture |
| Known for | Progressive educator, friend and mentor to John Muir |
Ezra Slocum Carr was a professor at the University of Wisconsin (where he was also briefly a member of the Board of Regents) and at the University of California - Berkeley. He was originally trained as a medical doctor but taught in several scientific fields. He was a one time California Superintendent of Public Instruction. Carr and his wife Jeanne were close friends of John Muir and were extremely influential in Muir's life at several key junctures.
Carr was born in Stephentown, New York on March 9, 1819, the son of Peleg Slocum Carr and Deborah Goodrich Carr. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Castleton College (Vermont). He received an MD from the latter in 1842. For several years he taught at colleges in the east.
Carr received an appointment as professor to the University of Wisconsin in 1855 — his title was Chair of Natural Sciences, and he also was to teach a course in agricultural science. He was the eighth member of the faculty, and at the time this was considered by the regents to fill the needs. The university was new, and as a lobbying ploy to enhance legislative and public support, Carr and Daniel Read were inaugurated in a ceremony in the Assembly hall. Carr used the occasion to outline his educational philosophies, and throughout his time in Madison he continued to push for emphasis on practical relevancy of the coursework offered by the university. "[T]he public have a reasonable right to expect ... that these departments connect the University directly with the industrial interests of the State, by affording instruction to young men, in Agriculture, Mining, etc...." Like many academics at the university, he immediately became involved with the state historical society. He was also a member of the State Geological Survey and served as a university regent from 1857-1859. Outspoken and at times at odds with his colleagues, in 1867 Carr lost his faculty position during a general turnover due to reforms instituted by new university president Paul A. Chadbourne.
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