George C. Chase
Encyclopedia
George Colby Chase was the second president of Bates College
in Lewiston, Maine
and an English scholar.
. His parents were Freewill Baptists. At age 18 Chase enrolled at the Maine State Seminary and graduated from the Seminary program in 1864. He then enrolled in the college program at Bates College
, graduating in 1868. After graduation he taught at the New Hampton Literary Institute, eventually returning to teach at Bates in 1870. Chase attended Bates' Cobb Divinity School
while teaching, but eventually decided not to pursue a career in ministry. Chase then studied at Harvard University
, returning to Bates in 1872 to teach Rhetoric and English.
In the 1880s Chase took on many of the president's fundraising responsibilities, and in 1894 Chase became Bates' second president, when Oren Cheney retired. As president Chase greatly expanded the college campus, student body, and the endowment. Chase served as president until his death in 1919. He died shortly after signing the diplomas for the class of 1919. His house on Frye Street is currently part of College, and Chase Hall is named after him.
Bates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
in Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston is a city in Androscoggin County in Maine, and the second-largest city in the state. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine...
and an English scholar.
Biography
Chase was born on March 15, 1844 in Unity, MaineUnity, Maine
Unity is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,889 at the 2000 census. The town is the service center for the northern portion of Waldo County...
. His parents were Freewill Baptists. At age 18 Chase enrolled at the Maine State Seminary and graduated from the Seminary program in 1864. He then enrolled in the college program at Bates College
Bates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
, graduating in 1868. After graduation he taught at the New Hampton Literary Institute, eventually returning to teach at Bates in 1870. Chase attended Bates' Cobb Divinity School
Cobb Divinity School
Cobb Divinity School, founded in 1840, was a Free Will Baptist graduate school affiliated with several Free Baptist institutions throughout its history...
while teaching, but eventually decided not to pursue a career in ministry. Chase then studied at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, returning to Bates in 1872 to teach Rhetoric and English.
In the 1880s Chase took on many of the president's fundraising responsibilities, and in 1894 Chase became Bates' second president, when Oren Cheney retired. As president Chase greatly expanded the college campus, student body, and the endowment. Chase served as president until his death in 1919. He died shortly after signing the diplomas for the class of 1919. His house on Frye Street is currently part of College, and Chase Hall is named after him.