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→Kansas State Presidency: Clarity and Detail: Clarified the roles of Fairchild's brothers and the context of his presidency at Kansas State for better understanding. Provided more specific details about Fairchild's contributions and the challenges he faced. Consistency and Flow: Maintained a consistent narrative flow throughout the passage. Organized information into coherent paragraphs to enhance readability. Formatting: Italicized the title of Fairchild's book (Rural Wealth and Welfare) |
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{{Short description|American academic (1838–1901)}}
{{For|the U.S. Representative from New York|George Winthrop Fairchild}}
{{Infobox person
| name = George
| image = George T Fairchild.jpg
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1838|10|6|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Lorain County, Ohio]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1901|3|16|1838|10|6|mf=y}}
| death_place = [[Columbus, Ohio]]
| father = [[Grandison Fairchild]]
| spouse = {{marriage|Charlotte Pearly Halsted|1863}}
| children = 5
| relatives = [[James Fairchild]] (brother)<br>{{nowrap|[[Edward Henry Fairchild]] (brother)}}
| alma_mater = [[Oberlin College]], Ohio
| occupation = educator<br>university president
}}
'''George Thompson Fairchild''' (October 6, 1838 – March 16, 1901) was an American educator and [[university president]].
Fairchild was the son of [[Grandison Fairchild]]. George was born on a farm in rural [[Lorain County, Ohio]], and graduated with two degrees from Oberlin (AB 1862, MA 1865).
In 1865, Fairchild began his academic career as an instructor at [[Michigan State University|State Agricultural College of Michigan]] (later [[Michigan State University]]). The following year he was made professor of English, a position he retained through the 1860s and 1870s. Fairchild was also a vice president of Michigan State, and in 1878 he served as acting
== Kansas State Presidency ==
In 1879, Fairchild was
While at Kansas State, Fairchild stepped into an ongoing debate about the role of [[land grant college]]s. While some felt that the college should be limited to agricultural and mechanical arts, Fairchild reimplemented a classical [[liberal arts]] education at Kansas State. He is credited with saying, "Our college exists not so much to make men farmers as to make farmers men."<ref name=reference1>{{cite book | last = Williard | first = Julius T. | title = History of Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science | year = 1940}}</ref> Fairchild restored [[classics]] courses and brought in prominent professors. He also bolstered the number and caliber of students at Kansas State, lifting attendance at the young school from 207 to 734 students during his tenure.<ref>[http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/archives/statewide/schools/ksu/1891/34.html College Symposium - through 1879<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[Ernest Fox Nichols]], [[Philip Fox (astronomer)|Philip Fox]], [[Walter T. Swingle]], [[Charles Lester Marlatt]] and [[David Fairchild]] (his son) were drawn to study at the school during this era.▼
▲
Following his resignation from Kansas State, Fairchild became a professor of English and vice president at Berea College in [[Berea, Kentucky]]. While at Berea, [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan Company]] published Fairchild's book ''Rural Wealth and Welfare: Economic Principles Illustrated and Applied in Farm Life'' in 1900.▼
Fairchild served as President until June 30, 1897, when he resigned following a contentious restructuring of the college by members of the Populist Party on the state Board of Regents. This restructuring led to the dismissal of a significant portion of the teaching faculty due to ideological disagreements with the direction of the university. In response, Fairchild published an influential article in The American Journal of Sociology, accusing party politicians of attempting to convert Kansas State Agricultural College into a "school of socialism."[3] He specifically criticized Regent Christian B. Hoffman, recently returned from the utopian community at Topolobampo in Mexico, as a key instigator. Education leaders nationwide expressed support for Fairchild through letters as he departed.[4]
▲Following his resignation
== Family life ==
In 1863, Fairchild married
* Agnes Mary Fairchild Kirshner
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* Paul Halsted
* [[David Fairchild|David Grandison]], a noted biologist and plant explorer
* Anna
== Legacy ==
* [[Fairchild Hall]], on the Kansas State campus, is named in his honor. The building, completed during his tenure in 1894, is home to the K-State Graduate School.<ref>[http://www.k-state.edu/grad/ K-State Graduate School<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* The [[Fairchild Theater]], on the Michigan State campus, is also named in his honor.<ref>[http://theatre.msu.edu/Department/History/ Michigan State University Department of Theatre
== References ==
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== External links ==
*[http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~dav4is/people/FAIR893.htm Brief biography]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070216123551/http://www.pilgrimjohnhowlandsociety.org/descendants_fairchild_bros.shtml Family biography]
* {{Gutenberg author | id=
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=George Thompson Fairchild |sopt=t}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairchild, George}}
[[Category:Presidents of Kansas State University]]▼
[[Category:Fairchild family|*]]▼
[[Category:Oberlin College alumni]]▼
[[Category:1838 births]]
[[Category:1901 deaths]]
▲[[Category:Presidents of Kansas State University]]
▲[[Category:Oberlin College alumni]]
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