Nathan Pusey
| Nathan M. Pusey | |
|---|---|
| President of Andrew W. Mellon Foundation | |
|
In office 1971–1975 |
|
| Preceded by | Charles Hamilton |
| Succeeded by | John Edward Sawyer |
| 24th President of Harvard University | |
|
In office 1953–1971 |
|
| Preceded by | James Bryant Conant |
| Succeeded by | Derek Curtis Bok |
| President of Lawrence University | |
|
In office 1944–1953 |
|
| Preceded by | Thomas Nichols Barrows |
| Succeeded by | Douglas Maitland Knight |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Nathan Marsh Pusey April 4, 1907 Council Bluffs, Iowa |
| Died | November 14, 2001 (aged 94) New York City, New York |
| Spouse(s) | Anne (Woodward) Pusey |
| Children | Nathan M. Pusey Jr., James R. Pusey, Rosemary (Pusey) Hopkins |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
Nathan Marsh Pusey (April 4, 1907 – November 14, 2001) was a prominent American university educator.
Pusey was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to John and Rosa Pusey. He was educated at Harvard College (B.A.), and received M.A. (1928) and Ph.D (1937) degrees from Harvard where he studied English literature and ancient history.
Pusey's first teaching post after he graduated was at Riverdale Country School. He then served at Lawrence College, Scripps College, and Wesleyan University. He served as president of Lawrence College (1944–1953), and later as the 24th president of Harvard University (1953–1971).
During his presidency of Harvard, Pusey overhauled the admissions process, which had been biased heavily in favor of the alumni of New England-based boarding schools, and began admitting public school graduates on the basis of scores obtained on standardized tests such as the SAT. This was highly controversial with the school's alumni population, but set the stage for the diversification of the student body and faculty.
Pusey vigorously opposed McCarthyism in the 1950s and supported the US Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. His clashes with Joseph McCarthy were especially significant because Pusey's position at Lawrence College placed him in the senator's hometown (Appleton, Wisconsin) and amid the political power base of the then-conservative Fox Valley. As president of the college, Pusey held the community's respect, and his vocal criticisms of McCarthy resounded loudly in the area. Pusey was a deeply religious man and a somewhat traditionalist scholar, and he was appalled by the student radicalism that raged in American universities in the late 1960s.
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