George Whitaker (Oregon educator)

George Whitaker
Whitaker in his later years
7th President of Willamette University
In office 1891–1893
Preceded by	Thomas Van Scoy
Succeeded by	Willis C. Hawley
Personal details
Born	May 14, 1836 Boston, Massachusetts
Died	1917 (aged 80–81) Westfield, Massachusetts
Spouse(s)	Harriet Clarke
Alma mater	Wesleyan University Fort Worth University
Profession	Educator, minister
Religion	Methodist
Willamette University info

George Whitaker (May 14, 1836 – 1917) was an American minister and university president in Texas and Oregon. A native of Massachusetts, he served as the president of Wiley College in Texas, along with Willamette University and Portland University in Oregon. A Methodist trained preacher and graduate of Wesleyan University, he also worked as a pastor across the country in the late 19th century, primarily in New England.

George Whitaker was born on May 14, 1836, to Catherine Cravath Holland and Edgar Kimball Whitaker in Boston, Massachusetts. Raised on a farm, he was the third oldest among eleven children in the family. His father was a merchant of English heritage who worked for the United States Customs in Boston and New Orleans, also acting as a clerk in Washington, D.C. for the Department of the Treasury. George’s great-grandfather, Nathaniel Whitaker, helped found Dartmouth College. He received his early education in Massachusetts at schools such as the Bridgewater Normal School (now Bridgewater State College), the Wesleyan Academy in Wilbraham, and the West Newton Model School.

Whitaker moved on to college at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in 1861. At the school he was a member of the Phi Nu Theta and Phi Beta Kappa fraternities. On June 22, 1861, he married Harriet Clarke from Forestville, Connecticut, and they had four children; Harriet Clarke, George Edgar, John Holland, and a son who died as an infant. Whitaker then started working as a pastor for the Methodist Episcopal church in West Medway, Massachusetts, in 1861 and remained until 1863. In 1863, he moved on to the church in South Walpole where he remained until 1864. During this time, he continued his studies and earned a master of arts degree from Wesleyan in 1864, where his brother Nicholas also attended.