A. Grant Evans
Encyclopedia
Arthur Grant Evans was the second president of the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...

.

Biography

He was born in Madras, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, in 1858 to English parents. He received his bachelor of arts degree in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 from Borough Road College. He came to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in 1883 to work as a missionary among the Cherokee Indians. In 1887, he was ordained as a Presbyterian minister
Minister of religion
In Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community...

 and began pastoring at a church in Oswego, Kansas
Oswego, Kansas
Oswego is a city in and the county seat of Labette County, Kansas, United States,, and situated along the Neosho River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,829.-History:...

 and later at churches in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

 and Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

. Prior to becoming the president at Oklahoma in 1908, he served as the president of Henry Kendall College in Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the county seat of Muskogee County, and home to Bacone College. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census, making it the eleventh-largest city in Oklahoma....

 for ten years (the college later moved to Tulsa and became the University of Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...

).

When Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

 became a state in 1907, the first governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

, Charles N. Haskell
Charles N. Haskell
Charles Nathaniel Haskell was an American lawyer, oilman, and statesman who served as the first Governor of Oklahoma. Haskell played a crucial role in drafting the Oklahoma Constitution as well as Oklahoma's statehood and admission into the United States as the 46th state in 1907...

, made several changes to the staff of the then territorial college. His most notable change was the firing of the university's first president, David Ross Boyd
David Ross Boyd
David Ross Boyd was an American educator and the first president of the University of Oklahoma.He was born in Coshocton, Ohio, and after obtaining a doctorate degree from the small Wooster University, where he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. He began his career early as a...

. Evans was Haskell's appointment for president of the university as Evans was also a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 and prohibitionist.

Evans' tenure as university president was marked by some notable achievements. One of the most important of these was the construction of the third administration building. Also, it was Evans that adhered to the since-fired Vernon Louis Parrington
Vernon Louis Parrington
Vernon Louis Parrington was an American historian and football coach. His liberal interpretation of American history was highly influential in the 1920s to 1940s, when it fell out of favor.-Career:...

's suggestion of using the Collegiate Gothic architectural style on campus. That administration building built during his tenure, which is a classic example of the architectural style of campus, was later renamed in Evan's honor. The separation of the campus began during Evan's stay as well. The College of Fine Arts, the College of Engineering, and the College of Arts and Sciences were all started between 1908 and 1911. Also, the School of Law was established during his tenure.

After his retirement in 1911, he once again became a pastor, this time in a church in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...

. He died November 30, 1929 of a "stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...

 of apoplexy
Apoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...

."

Many people lost confidence in the new state university after the Oklahoma government fired the beloved President Boyd. Because of this, nearly 1,500 students went to out-of-state universities over the next few years. Following Dr. Boyd's dismissal in 1908, the campus enrollment declined nearly 20% and it declined another 11% between 1910 and 1911.

External links

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