Franklin S. Harris
Encyclopedia
Franklin Stewart Harris (August 29, 1884 – April 18, 1960) was president of Brigham Young University
(BYU) from 1921 until 1945, and president of Utah State University
from 1945 to 1950.
His administration was the longest in BYU history and saw the granting of the first master's degree
s. Under his administration the school moved towards being a full university. He set up several colleges, such as the College of Fine and Performing Arts with Gerrit De Jong as the founding dean.
Harris was an agricultural scientist. He received his doctorate from Cornell University
. He had served as the agriculture department head and head of the experiment station at Utah State Agricultural College and left BYU to become president of that institution.
The Harris Fine Arts Center on BYU's Provo
campus is named after him.
, Utah Territory
, United States
. In the 1890s his family moved to the Mormon Colonies in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Harris did his early studies at BYU before going on to receive his doctorate from Cornell.
which at that point was a library. This was the first BYU building built as a library, but it soon became too small to hold all the books Harris had managed to have the University acquire.
In 1945 Harris left BYU to assume the presidency of Utah State Agricultural College
.
In 1926 he served as a missionary in Japan
. He also served a short mission among the Latter-day Saints in Syria
in 1927.
.
In the early 1950s Harris worked in Iran
, where he served as the president
of the LDS Church branch headquartered in Tehran
, as reported in the October 1951 general conference
. He died in 1960.
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
(BYU) from 1921 until 1945, and president of Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
from 1945 to 1950.
His administration was the longest in BYU history and saw the granting of the first master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
s. Under his administration the school moved towards being a full university. He set up several colleges, such as the College of Fine and Performing Arts with Gerrit De Jong as the founding dean.
Harris was an agricultural scientist. He received his doctorate from 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...
. He had served as the agriculture department head and head of the experiment station at Utah State Agricultural College and left BYU to become president of that institution.
The Harris Fine Arts Center on BYU's Provo
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
campus is named after him.
Early life
Harris was born in BenjaminBenjamin, Utah
Benjamin is a census-designated place in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Utah Territory
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In the 1890s his family moved to the Mormon Colonies in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Harris did his early studies at BYU before going on to receive his doctorate from Cornell.
BYU Presidency
One of Harris's first announcements on coming to campus was a need to make BYU a center of religious scholarship and a desire to have a broad spectrum of religious books in the library. The first building built on BYU campus during Harris's administration was the Heber J. Grant buildingBYU Testing Center
The BYU Testing Center, the largest college testing center in the nation, is located in the Heber J. Grant Building at Brigham Young University. It serves the purpose of administering tests to students. Tests are often administered in the Testing Center instead of during class time...
which at that point was a library. This was the first BYU building built as a library, but it soon became too small to hold all the books Harris had managed to have the University acquire.
In 1945 Harris left BYU to assume the presidency of Utah State Agricultural College
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
.
Politics
In 1938 Harris was the Republican candidate for United States Senate in Utah. He lost to Democrat Elbert Thomas.Other Church Service
In 1923 Harris was made a member of the General Board of the Young Men's Mutual Inprovement Association.In 1926 he served as a missionary in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He also served a short mission among the Latter-day Saints in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
in 1927.
International Work
In 1929 Harris was involved with founding a Jewish colony in SiberiaSiberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
.
In the early 1950s Harris worked in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, where he served as the president
Branch President
A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, the branch president presides over a branch...
of the LDS Church branch headquartered in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, as reported in the October 1951 general conference
General Conference (LDS Church)
General Conference is a semiannual world conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held in April and October, where members gather in a series of two-hour sessions to listen to instruction from Church leaders...
. He died in 1960.