Robert F. Goheen
Encyclopedia
Robert Francis Goheen was an American
academic, president of Princeton University
and United States Ambassador to India
.
India
, where both his parents were serving as Presbyterian medical missionaries. His early education through the tenth grade was at Kodaikanal International School
in Tamil Nadu
, South India
. After moving to the United States in 1934, he completed his secondary school education at the Lawrenceville School
in New Jersey in 1936. He then attended Princeton University
, where he won the Pyne Honor Prize and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1940. He was also an avid soccer player.
An intelligence officer in the United States Army
during World War II
, Goheen reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
. He returned to graduate school at Princeton after the war, earning an M.A. (1947) and Ph.D. (1948) in classics. Goheen was one of the first four students to receive a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship
, established at Princeton to encourage war veterans to pursue a career in teaching.
In 1942, Goheen married Margaret Skelly. They had four daughters (Anne, Trudi, Megan, and Elizabeth) and two sons (Stephen and Charley), who gave them 18 grandchildren, including the American novelist Megan Crane.
"Dr. Goheen would eventually build or acquire 38 buildings, increasing the university’s indoor square footage by 80 percent. He quadrupled the budget, doubled alumni giving and increased the number of faculty members by 40 percent."
"The university changed fundamentally under Dr. Goheen’s leadership, going from an establishment cradle to a diversified and complex research university. He attacked the exclusivity of the eating clubs, even opening one to be run by the university. He hired Princeton’s first black administrator and first black full professor and aggressively recruited promising minority students."
in New York. On January 1, 1977, he became president of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation
, but that April he was appointed by President Jimmy Carter
to become United States Ambassador to India
. He served in the country of his birth from 1977 to 1980.
He returned to Princeton University in 1981, serving on the faculty of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
. He died in Princeton, New Jersey
on March 31, 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
academic, president of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and United States Ambassador to India
United States Ambassador to India
American Embassy New Delhi was established Nov 1, 1946, with George R. Merrell as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim.-Chiefs of Mission to India:-See also:*Embassy of India, Washington, D.C.*India – United States relations*Foreign relations of India...
.
Biography
Robert Francis Goheen was born on August 15, 1919 to Anne (Ewing) and Dr Robert H. H. Goheen in VengurlaVengurla
Under the Köppen climate classification, Vengurla features a tropical monsoon climate. The highest temperature in summer reaches 42°C while in winter, temperature drops up to 10°C. The annual precipitation is .-Demographics:...
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...
, where both his parents were serving as Presbyterian medical missionaries. His early education through the tenth grade was at Kodaikanal International School
Kodaikanal International School
Kodaikanal International School is a co-educational independent residential school offering education for grades P-12. It is located on in Kodaikanal, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, South India. Kodaikanal is a hill station at in the Palani Hills, north-west of Madurai.Early alumni of KIS include US...
in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. After moving to the United States in 1934, he completed his secondary school education at the Lawrenceville School
Lawrenceville School
The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational, independent preparatory boarding school for grades 9–12 located on in the historic community of Lawrenceville, in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, U.S., five miles southwest of Princeton....
in New Jersey in 1936. He then attended Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, where he won the Pyne Honor Prize and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1940. He was also an avid soccer player.
An intelligence officer in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Goheen reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
. He returned to graduate school at Princeton after the war, earning an M.A. (1947) and Ph.D. (1948) in classics. Goheen was one of the first four students to receive a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship
Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation is a private non-profit foundation based in Princeton, New Jersey. It administers programs that support leadership development and build organizational capacity in education. Its current signature program is the...
, established at Princeton to encourage war veterans to pursue a career in teaching.
In 1942, Goheen married Margaret Skelly. They had four daughters (Anne, Trudi, Megan, and Elizabeth) and two sons (Stephen and Charley), who gave them 18 grandchildren, including the American novelist Megan Crane.
Princeton University career
Goheen taught classics at Princeton as an assistant professor from 1950 until 1957, when he was appointed the university’s 16th president. At 37, he was the youngest man to assume that position since the eighteenth century. Faced with the social and political challenges of the 1960s, Goheen encouraged student involvement in decision-making processes and initiated active recruitment of minorities, as well as overseeing the admission of women in 1969."Dr. Goheen would eventually build or acquire 38 buildings, increasing the university’s indoor square footage by 80 percent. He quadrupled the budget, doubled alumni giving and increased the number of faculty members by 40 percent."
"The university changed fundamentally under Dr. Goheen’s leadership, going from an establishment cradle to a diversified and complex research university. He attacked the exclusivity of the eating clubs, even opening one to be run by the university. He hired Princeton’s first black administrator and first black full professor and aggressively recruited promising minority students."
Later life
After his retirement from Princeton in 1972, he was named president of the Council on FoundationsCouncil on Foundations
The Council on Foundations, formed in 1949, is a nonprofit membership association of grantmaking foundations and corporations. Members of the Council include more than 1,750 independent, operating, community, public, and company-sponsored foundations, and corporate giving programs in the United...
in New York. On January 1, 1977, he became president of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation
Edna McConnell Clark Foundation
The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation is a New York-based institution that currently focuses on providing opportunities for low-income youth in the United States...
, but that April he was appointed by President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
to become United States Ambassador to India
United States Ambassador to India
American Embassy New Delhi was established Nov 1, 1946, with George R. Merrell as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim.-Chiefs of Mission to India:-See also:*Embassy of India, Washington, D.C.*India – United States relations*Foreign relations of India...
. He served in the country of his birth from 1977 to 1980.
He returned to Princeton University in 1981, serving on the faculty of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school has granted undergraduate A.B. degrees since 1930 and graduate degrees since 1948...
. He died in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
on March 31, 2008.