William Jasper Kerr
Encyclopedia
William Jasper Kerr served as the president of Oregon State University
for 25 years, 1907–1932. In 1932 he became the first chancellor of the Oregon State System of Higher Education
, serving until 1935. He also served as the president of Brigham Young College
from 1894–1900 and of Utah State Agricultural College from 1900–1907.
Kerr was born in Richmond
, Utah
. He received a B.S. degree in Mathematics from the University of Utah
in 1885. In 1887, he joined the faculty of Brigham Young College as a mathematics professor. He also taught at the University of Utah
.
He married in 1885, and had four daughters and two sons. Raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon or LDS Church) during the time when plural marriage
(polygamy) was taught and practiced, Kerr later married a second wife, a schoolteacher in Smithfield, Utah
. After the church renounced the practice
, Kerr divorced his second wife in 1898. The emotional impact caused Kerr and his wives to leave the LDS Church. When he was considered for president of Oregon State College in 1907, the public animosity for Mormonism invited attacks on Kerr's polygamous past, until he reasserted his rejection of the faith.
Following his retirement, Kerr moved to Portland
, where he died in 1947.
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
for 25 years, 1907–1932. In 1932 he became the first chancellor of the Oregon State System of Higher Education
Oregon University System
The Oregon University System consists of seven public, four-year universities in the State of Oregon administered by the Chancellor of the OUS, who is appointed by the Oregon State Board of Higher Education...
, serving until 1935. He also served as the president of Brigham Young College
Brigham Young College
Brigham Young College was a college and high school in Logan, Utah. It was founded by Brigham Young on 6 August 1877, 23 days before he died. He deeded several acres of land to a board of trustees for the development of a college. This was just two years after he founded Brigham Young Academy in...
from 1894–1900 and of Utah State Agricultural College from 1900–1907.
Kerr was born in Richmond
Richmond, Utah
Richmond is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,470 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area. Part of the film Napoleon Dynamite was filmed at Richmond. Richmond is home to three schools. An Elementary school, a middle...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. He received a B.S. degree in Mathematics from the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
in 1885. In 1887, he joined the faculty of Brigham Young College as a mathematics professor. He also taught at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
.
He married in 1885, and had four daughters and two sons. Raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon or LDS Church) during the time when plural marriage
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
(polygamy) was taught and practiced, Kerr later married a second wife, a schoolteacher in Smithfield, Utah
Smithfield, Utah
Smithfield is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The population was 9,495 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the second largest city in the area after the county seat, Logan...
. After the church renounced the practice
1890 Manifesto
The "1890 Manifesto", sometimes simply called "The Manifesto", is a statement which officially disavowed the continuing practice of plural marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, Kerr divorced his second wife in 1898. The emotional impact caused Kerr and his wives to leave the LDS Church. When he was considered for president of Oregon State College in 1907, the public animosity for Mormonism invited attacks on Kerr's polygamous past, until he reasserted his rejection of the faith.
Following his retirement, Kerr moved to Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, where he died in 1947.
External links
- Pictures of William Jasper Kerr: