Edwin Jackson Kyle
Encyclopedia
Edwin Jackson Kyle was the U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala
from 1945—1948. He was also the first Texan
to advocate agricultural teaching in state schools successfully. He is the namesake of Kyle Field
, an American football
stadium
in College Station, TX, and his parents are the namesake of the suburban town of Kyle, Texas
located fifteen miles south of Austin, Texas
.
to Captain Fergus Kyle and Anna Moore. His father was a Texas state legislator. Kyle attended various public and private schools before enrolling at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University
) in 1896. A high achiever, Kyle became the highest-ranking cadet in his junior class. In his senior year he served as "senior captain," the highest rank in the Corps of Cadets
, as well as class president and president of the YMCA
. Due to an unexpected vacancy, Kyle became acting commandant
for one month, becoming the only student to hold that position. This role also gave him voting privileges in faculty matters, something no other A&M student has been granted.
Kyle graduated with honors in 1899 as class valedictorian
before attending Cornell University
, where he received a B.S.
degree in agriculture in 1901 and an M.S.
in 1902. During his time at Cornell, Kyle was a founding member of Cornell's Alpha Zeta
fraternity, and "was actively involved in the production of fruits and vegetables for the Pan-American Exposition of 1900." and an honorary doctorate in agriculture from the University of Arkansas
in 1949.
department. He quickly advanced to department head and was granted a full professorship in 1905. When the department became the School of Agriculture
in 1911, Kyle was named its first dean. Committed to education as well as research, Kyle wrote prolifically about agriculture. His book, Fundamentals of Farming and Farm Life, was adopted by the state of Texas
as a standard elementary textbook in 1912. Within 30 years this textbook had sold over half a million copies, "an enormous publication run for the era."
In the fall of 1904, Kyle, who was also the director of the General Athletics Association, wanted to secure and develop an athletic field to promote the school's athletics. Texas A&M was unwilling to provide funds, so Kyle fenced off a section of the southeast corner of campus that had been assigned to him for agricultural use. Using $650 of his own money, he purchased the covered grandstand
from the Bryan
fairgrounds and built wooden bleachers to raise the seating capacity
to 500 people. The students unofficially named the athletic field Kyle Field
in his honor in 1908. Although Kyle resigned as head of the General Athletics Association when he became a dean, he remained involved with the improvements to the athletic field for many years.
In 1941, Kyle toured Central
and South America
on behalf of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
to study the agriculture economy. The following year the Texas Department of Agriculture
appointed him as an official delegate to the second Inter-American Conference on Agriculture in Mexico
.
. In January 1945 he was selected by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
to be the American ambassador to Guatemala
. Following his resignation in 1947, Guatemala awarded him the Order of Quetzal, making him at the time the only American so honored.
, where he lived for the rest of his life. He died at his home on December 26, 1963.
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
from 1945—1948. He was also the first Texan
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to advocate agricultural teaching in state schools successfully. He is the namesake of Kyle Field
Kyle Field
Kyle Field is the football stadium located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. It has been the home to the Texas A&M Aggie football team in rudimentary form since 1904, and as a complete stadium since 1927. It is known as The Home of the 12th Man...
, an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in College Station, TX, and his parents are the namesake of the suburban town of Kyle, Texas
Kyle, Texas
Kyle is a town in Hays County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,314 at the 2000 census; it was 26,103 in the 2008 census estimate, making Kyle one of the fastest growing cities in Texas.-Geography:...
located fifteen miles south of Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
Early years
Kyle was born July 22, 1876 in Kyle, TexasKyle, Texas
Kyle is a town in Hays County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,314 at the 2000 census; it was 26,103 in the 2008 census estimate, making Kyle one of the fastest growing cities in Texas.-Geography:...
to Captain Fergus Kyle and Anna Moore. His father was a Texas state legislator. Kyle attended various public and private schools before enrolling at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
) in 1896. A high achiever, Kyle became the highest-ranking cadet in his junior class. In his senior year he served as "senior captain," the highest rank in the Corps of Cadets
Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets
The Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets is a student military organization at Texas A&M University...
, as well as class president and president of the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
. Due to an unexpected vacancy, Kyle became acting commandant
Commandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
for one month, becoming the only student to hold that position. This role also gave him voting privileges in faculty matters, something no other A&M student has been granted.
Kyle graduated with honors in 1899 as class valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
before attending Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, where he received a B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in agriculture in 1901 and an M.S.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in 1902. During his time at Cornell, Kyle was a founding member of Cornell's Alpha Zeta
Alpha Zeta
Alpha Zeta is a professional fraternity for students and industry professionals in the agriculture and natural resources fields. Founded in 1897 at The Ohio State University, Alpha Zeta is the first and oldest collegiate society for agriculture...
fraternity, and "was actively involved in the production of fruits and vegetables for the Pan-American Exposition of 1900." and an honorary doctorate in agriculture from the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
in 1949.
Texas A&M
In 1902, Kyle returned to Texas A&M as an instructor in the horticultureHorticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
department. He quickly advanced to department head and was granted a full professorship in 1905. When the department became the School of Agriculture
Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, or AgLifeSciences for short, is one of ten colleges and schools that are part of Texas A&M University. Agriculture and the Life Sciences have been part of the university since its founding in 1876 as the "Agricultural & Mechanical College of...
in 1911, Kyle was named its first dean. Committed to education as well as research, Kyle wrote prolifically about agriculture. His book, Fundamentals of Farming and Farm Life, was adopted by the state of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
as a standard elementary textbook in 1912. Within 30 years this textbook had sold over half a million copies, "an enormous publication run for the era."
In the fall of 1904, Kyle, who was also the director of the General Athletics Association, wanted to secure and develop an athletic field to promote the school's athletics. Texas A&M was unwilling to provide funds, so Kyle fenced off a section of the southeast corner of campus that had been assigned to him for agricultural use. Using $650 of his own money, he purchased the covered grandstand
Grandstand
A grandstand is a large and normally permanent structure for seating spectators, most often at a racetrack. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap all or most of the way...
from the Bryan
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...
fairgrounds and built wooden bleachers to raise the seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
to 500 people. The students unofficially named the athletic field Kyle Field
Kyle Field
Kyle Field is the football stadium located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. It has been the home to the Texas A&M Aggie football team in rudimentary form since 1904, and as a complete stadium since 1927. It is known as The Home of the 12th Man...
in his honor in 1908. Although Kyle resigned as head of the General Athletics Association when he became a dean, he remained involved with the improvements to the athletic field for many years.
In 1941, Kyle toured Central
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
on behalf of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
The Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs was a United States agency promoting inter-American cooperation during the 1940s, especially in commercial and economic areas...
to study the agriculture economy. The following year the Texas Department of Agriculture
Texas Department of Agriculture
The Texas Department of Agriculture is a state agency within the state of Texas, which is responsible for matters pertaining to agriculture, rural community affairs, and related matters.TDA was established by the 13th Texas Legislature in 1907...
appointed him as an official delegate to the second Inter-American Conference on Agriculture in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Government
Kyle retired from Texas A&M in 1944. For a brief period following his retirement, he served as the Director of the Farm Credit Administration at HoustonHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. In January 1945 he was selected by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
to be the American ambassador to Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. Following his resignation in 1947, Guatemala awarded him the Order of Quetzal, making him at the time the only American so honored.
Later years
In 1948, Kyle returned to Bryan, TexasBryan, Texas
Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...
, where he lived for the rest of his life. He died at his home on December 26, 1963.