Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2, Part 67

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1048

USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2 > Part 67

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Charles McMicken was born in Bucks County, l'ennsylvania, on November 23, 1782. He re- moved to Cincinnati in 1803, having for prop- erty we are told the clothes that he wore and the horse, saddle and bridle used in his journey. Upon his arrival in this city, he engaged at first in flat-boating and soon undertook a general merchandise business. His transactions includ- ed both the cities of Cincinnati and New Or- leans as well as the river country between and lic finally became a merchant in Bayou Sarah in Louisiana but kept his summer home in Cin- cinnati. Although his business was not very successful at first, at the time of his death he had accumulated a fortune estimated at more than a million dollars largely invested in real estate in Cincinnati, and in New Orleans and elsewhere in the State of Louisiana. Ile died in his 76th year on March 30, 1858, of pneumonia which he contracted on the boat on the way from New Orleans to Cincinnati.

Although not a man of liberal education his actions during his life showed how highly he valued it in others. Some years before his death he had subscribed $10,000 to endow a professor- ship of agricultural chemistry in Farmers' Col- lege on College Hill and three years before his death on September 2, 1855, he executed a will

which, probated on April 10, 1258, laid the foun- dation of the university which should bear his name.

The thirty-first item of this will gives, devises, and bequeathes, "to the CITY OF CINCINNATI, and to its successors, for the purpose of building, establishing, and maintaining, as soon as prac- ticable after my decease, two Colleges for the education of white Boys and Girls, all the follow- ing real and personal estate, IN TRUST FOREVER, to-wit," etc.

The property enumerated in the item included certain tracts of land in Louisiana and in the city of New Orleans, a tract of land in Delhi township in this county, all the testator's real estate in Cincinnati, all the real and personal property to be acquired after the date of the will, and all bonds, stocks, moneys and rents of all the property of the testator not otherwise specific- ally devised.

Mr. McMicken having, in a residence of over 50 years in Cincinnati, discovered the wonderful facility with which the public authorities dispos- sessed themselves and the city of any real estate left for publie purposes attached certain condi- tions to his bequest which time has since shown to have been injudicious, as is usually the case when one attempts to bind his property for all time. He provided that none of the real estate in Cincinnati should at any time be sold and directed that the college buildings should be erected from the income of the estate. This provision which at times lias seemed a burden- some one is in the minds of many people having in view past events indicative of great wisdom on the part of the testator. It is only when Mr. McMicken attempted to go into details that he made the mistake. He directed that the col- lege buildings should be erected on the premises where he resided and that there should be one building for boys and one for girls. He even went so far as to designate the number of acres to surround each building and to locate exactly their positions on the grounds. He also limited the terms of leases to 15 years for unimproved property and 10 years for improved property. This provision too has been criticised but it is by no means uncertain that time will vindicate liis judgment here. By a special item of his will he directed that "the Holy Bible of the Protestant version, as contained in the Old and New Testaments, shall be used as a Book of In- struction in the said Colleges," a provision more honored in the breach than the observance. In the event that there should be any surplus lie

892

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI

made elaborate provisions for the support of orphans. These provisions although never put into effect showed the wisdom of the testator. A curious one provided that in case of any of the male orphans intermarrying with the female orphans they should be entitled to a loan from the funds.

Unfortunately this bequest, one of the most public spirited and philanthropic ever given to the city, failed in part. Much of the property covered by it was in Louisiana where the civil law prevailed. As a result many of Mr. Mc- Micken's nephews and nieces who, although liberal bequests in the shape of legacies and an- nuities had been made, were dissatisfied with this great gift for public purposes, resorted to the courts of that State to defeat their uncle's long cherished desire. As a result it was held by the highest courts of that State (15 La. An., 154) that a devise to a municipal corporation in trust was invalid and property valued at nearly half - a million dollars was lost to the University.

An attempt was also made by the New Or- leans relatives to invalidate the will so far as the Cincinnati property was concerned on the ground that the city was incapable of taking and executing the trust and for other reasons. Tliis case was carried to the Supreme Court of the United States where it was argued for the city by three of the ablest lawyers of their time, -- Aaron F. Perry, George E. Pugh and Al- phonso Taft. The decision in this case which favored the city was made in 1869. (24 How- ard, 463. )

The fact that much of the property in Cin- cinnati was situated upon that part of Main street which was depreciating in value, because of the westward tendency of business, decreased the amount of revenues very materially. The build- ings were in the main old and needed much re- pairing and rebuilding. These unfortunate con- ditions together with the fluctuations of rents and the inability to sell or lease the property for a long term of years reduced the receipts so that for some years the average revenue was not over $16,000 a year and one year there was no revenne at all. Shortly after Mr. McMicken's death, the City Council passed an ordinance es- tablishing the MeMicken University and elected a board of six directors consisting of George B. Hollister, Henry F. Handy, Kufus King, Miles Greenwood, Cornelius G. Comegys and James Wilson. A meeting for organization was held : in the council chamber on December 30, 1859, at which the mayor, R. M. Bishop, was also

present. Rufus King was elected president of the board and by-laws, rules and regulations adopted. An office was opened in one of the McMicken buildings on Main below Fourth and the trustees entered into possession of the es- tate except the mansion house and grounds which were to be occupied for five years by a nepliew and niece. Nothing could be done, however, for a year or so in view of the litigation then pend- ing.

The War of the Rebellion, which so seriously affected the business of the city, weighed with particular severity upon the MeMicken property. In 1864, however, the directors were able to show a cash balance of $4,409.82 and $10,000 invested in city bonds. The property had been put in repair and efforts to secure a release from taxation had been successful. During this year the ladies of the Cincinnati Academy of Fine Arts had presented their collection of paintings to the University and this was established tem- porarily in a large room of one of the McMicken buildings at the northeast corner of Fourth and Main.

The first instruction under the auspices of the University was given on the first Monday of January, 1869, by the McMicken School of Art and Design in charge of Thomas S. Noble, an artist and teacher from New York. Mr. Noble was assisted by seven teachers and during the first year gave instruction to 120 pupils. The school was kept for many years in the fourth story of the old College Building on Walnut street. It was soon found, however, that if the University were to be a success it must receive further encouragement both from the city and other generous minded citizens By an act of the Legislature passed April 16, 1870 (67 (). L., 86), there was established a board of di- rectors for the University of Cincinnati, which was authorized to accept any property or funds given to the city for the purpose of founding, maintaining or aiding a university, college or any other institution for the promotion of free education. The Board of Education was also authorized to make a levy of not more than one- tenth of a mill for the support of the University. Thereafter on March 14, 1871, the Common Council of Cincinnati passed an ordinance to provide for the University of Cincinnati. By its terms the board of directors of the MeMicken University were directed to transfer to the board of directors of the new institution all the prop- erty held by them. At that time the directors were elected by the Council Subsequently in

.....

THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.

895

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

1889 the law was changed so that a board of 19 directors was established, of whom the mayor should be one and others should be appointed by the Common Council from persons nominated, six by the Board of Education and 12 by the Superior Court. On February 18, 1892, the appointments were all vested in the Superior Court of Cincinnati. Under the code of 1902 the board, composed of nine members, is ap- pointed by the mayor of the city.

At the time the McMicken bequest was taken over by the city, the name of the institution was changed to the University of Cincinnati. On April 27, 1872, an issne of bonds to the amount of $150,000 was authorized to provide the build- ings and apparatus necessary for the University and from these funds the building was finally erected on the grounds of the McMicken home- stead. This building intended for use by pupils of both sexes was ready for occupancy in Sep- tember, 1875. In the meantime an Academic Department had been opened in 1873 at Wood- ward High School in charge of Principal George Harper and instruction was given by the teach- ers of that school in language, mathematics, chemistry and physics. Fifty-eight students were admitted, forty of whom were women. Many studied French and German only. Benn Pit- man conducted a class in wood carving in the School of Art and Design, which moved that vear to the College Building from its first lo- cation at Third and Main. The following year the work of instruction was carried on at the Third Intermediate School on Franklin street. In 1874 the Academic Department was fully or- ganized and three professors were appointed,- one of mathematics and civil engineering, one

of Latin and Greek and one of physics and chem- istry. In October, 1875, the north wing of the new building was occupied by the Academic De- partment offering three courses of study leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Civil Engineer. H. J. Eddy was appointed professor of mathematics and astron- omy and civil engineering, and Frederick D. Al- len of ancient languages and comparative phil- ology and there were also instructors in French and German. In November, 1885, the building was largely damaged by fire which broke out in the laboratory and from that time until June, 1886, the instruction in the Academic Depart- ment was carried on at the Hebrew Union Col- lege on West Sixth street. The same year that witnessed the opening of the institution in the new building added the Cincinnati Observatory

to the University. In 1876 Joseph Longworth made a gift of $59,500 to the Art Department on condition that the University should add $10,- 000, which was done. The first degrees were conferred in 1877, that of Bachelor of Arts upon Frank McFarlan and Master of Arts upon Hler- bert A. Howe and Winslow Upton. In Decem- ber of this year Thomas A. Vickers, who was at that time librarian of the Public Library, was appointed rector of the University. The first regular public commencement was held at Pike's Opera House on June 20, 1878, at which time an oration was delivered by Hon. George Il. Pendleton and degrees conferred upon five young men from Cincinnati, one from Brazil and a young lady from Newport. The students of the Academic Department during this year num- bered 89. This department of the University occupied the building on McMicken avenue for 20 years. The increase in the number of stu- dents and the undesirable character of the land made it apparent at a very early period that the site was not adapted for the purpose. An or- dinance was passed on September 20, 1889, by which the mayor executed on October 22, 1889, an agreement with the board of directors of the University setting aside for university purposes a tract of land in Burnet Woods Park of 43.302 acres upon condition that construction of the main building for university purposes should be begun within three years and that within five years not less than $100,000 should have been expended in building and improvements upon the ground. As the acceptance of this grant in- volved the moving of the principal buildings of the University from the MeMicken homestead, it became necessary to have a judicial construc- tion of the will of Mr. MeMicken. The Hamil- ton County Circuit Court in December, 1891, (4 C. C. R., 188) upheld the right of the Uni- versity to expend the sums bequeathed in the erection of buildings in Burnet Woods or other grounds and for the maintenance of colleges on such grounds and this decision was affirmed without report by the Supreme Court on March 7, 1893. (29 W. I. B., 168.)

The Legislature thereupon authorized an issue of $100,000 in four .per cent bonds and with the proceeds of the sale of these bonds the prin- cipal building, MeMicken Hall, was erected. This was dedicated on the anniversary of Me- Micken's birth on November 23, 1805.

In June of the same year Henry Hanna gave $50,000 for the erection of Hauna Hall, the north wing of the principal . building, in which were

896

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI

installed the chemistry and engineering depart- ments. In the following year he donated $20,- 000 to equip the building. In 1898 the south wing of the building known as Cunningham Hall and occupied by the departments of physics and biology was erected from a donation of $00,000 given by Briggs S. Cunningham in memory of his wife, Anna Evans Cunningham. In this same year Asa Van Wormer donated 1,000 shares of stock of the Cincinnati Street Railway Company (par value $50,000) for the building and equipment of the fireproof library building which lying south of Cunningham Hall is known as the Van Wormer Library.

In the summer of 1901 an anonymous bene- factor, acting through Melville E. Ingalls, do- nated to the University the sum of $22,500 to be expended in the construction of a building adapted for shop work as part of the equipment of the College of Engineering. This building has been completed and lies east of the main tier of buildings.

The Observatory since 1873 has stood on Mount Lookout about six miles from the center of the city. The ground on which it stands was given to the city by John Kilgour in 1872. It was valued at $10,000 and accompanying this gift was a sum of $1,000 afterwards increased by Mr. Kilgour by a donation of $10,000 more for the erection of the building. The original corner-stone was removed from the old building on Mount Adams and is the corner-stone of the building erected in 1873. At that time the books and instruments which had been given by the Cincinnati Astronomical Society valued at $8,000 were removed to this structure.

Other buildings occupied by branches of the University are the newly erected Law School Building on the south side of Ninth street cast of Race, the old University Building at the Mc- Micken homestead occupied by the Medical De- partment ( Medical College of Ohio) the build- ing of the Ohio College of Dental Surgery at Central avenue and Court street and a Dispen- sary Building erected in 1896 on the homestead grounds. The Clinical and Pathological School of the Cincinnati Hospital occupies rooms at the hospital building at 12th street and Central avenue.

The University has been generously endowed in the few years of its existence by the citizens as well as by the tax payers. The latter pay at present three-tenths of a mill for university pur- poses and three hundredths of a mill for ob- servatory purposes. In addition to the gifts al-

ready mentioned, there have been many others., In 1873 Julius Dexter gave $1,000 to the Ob- servatory. In 1866 the trustees of the real es- tate devised by McMicken to the city estab- lished the School of Design which two years later became a department of the University. . At different times during his life Joseph Longworth gave to the support of the School of Design the sum of $100,000. In 1883 his son proposed that if the School of Design should be surrendered to the management of the Cincinnati Museum Association, he would endow it with perpetual ground rents of the market value of a quarter of a million dollars. This proposition was ac- cepted and in February, 1884, this department of the University passed under the management of the Cincinnati Museum Association. Rev. Samuel J. Browne bequeathed $150,000 to es- tablish a university. His will was set aside and by a compromise agreement his heirs gave $1,000 to the Cincinnati Orphan Asylum, $1,000 to the Widows' Home and certain property for educa- tional purposes of which one-third was given to Lane Seminary and two-thirds to the University. This endowment is now represented by invest- ments of a little over $20,000. Matthew Thoms, who died in 1890, left the University an estate valued at $130,000. His heirs were about to contest the will but finally agreed upon a com- promise in which they received $20,000 in money. From this fund was established the William Thoms professorship of civil engineering in memory of Mr. Thoms' father.

The David Sinton chair of economics and political science is maintained from the income of the gift made by Mr. Sinton in 1899 of the sum of $100,000. Other noteworthy gifts were those of W. A. Procter who in 1898 gave the Robert Clarke library consisting chiefly of Amer- icana and including 6,759 volumes and in the following year the Enoch T. Carson Shakespeare library of 1,420 volumes and in 1900 the chem- ical library of Prof. T. H. Norton containing 992 volumes. Other benefactors of the Uni- versity who have contributed funds or collec- tions of various sorts are Professor Lilienthal of New York, Mrs. Nancy Fechheimer, Prof. A. G. Weatherby, Frank J. Jones, Laura Season- good, Louis Seasongood, Christian Moerlein and Charles F. Windisch. Marry cthers contributed books and apparatus.

The total endowment of the University of Cin- cinnati as estimated in its last catalogue is $3,- 136,709.01. In this is included the capitaliza- tion of the revenue from taxes, a little over $50,-

897

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

000 a year. Leaving this out of consideration, the endowment is about a million and a half, of which the amount contributed by Mr. McMicken is estimated at about $700,000, Matthew Thoms $130,000, David Sinton $100,000, Henry Hanna $70,000, Briggs S. Cunningham $60,000, and Asa Van Wormer and William A. Proctor $50,- 000 cach.

The latest catalogue of the University of Cin- cinanti shows the faculty, including all officers of administration and instruction, as 185 and a total number of students during the year ending June, 1902, as 1,293. Of these the Academic Department is credited with 471, the Ohio Col- lege of Dental Surgery 257, the Clinical and Pathological School of the Cincinnati Hospital 238, the Medical Department ( Medical College of Ohio) 179, the Summer School 135, the Law Department 67, College of Engineering 50 and the Graduate Department 30. From the total of these figures must be deducted 134 for the students counted twice.

In May, 1899, the office of president which had been vacant for 10 years was filled by the elec- tion of Howard Ayres to this position. Under President Ayres' administration many changes were made in the faculty and in the details of the administration of the University. Not only are complete courses of instruction given in the professional schools but in the Academic Depart- ment the number of courses offered graduates and undergraduates exceeds 200 and it is thought that the instruction given both in scope and character compares favorably with that of any other university of the same age and endow- ment.

The faculty as at present constituted includes Wayland R. Benedict, professor of philosophy, Jermain G. Porter, astronomy, Edward M. Brown, English, Frederick C. Hicks, economics, Harris Hancock, mathematics, John M. Burn- ham, Latin, Max Poll, German, Joseph E. Harry, Greek, Merrick Whitcomb, history, Louis T. More, physics, Thomas Evans, chemistry, and Christian W. Marx, mechanical engineering.

As a result of the new code of 1902 the gov- ernment of the University is vested in a board of nine trustees appointed by the mayor. This board consists of Frank J. Jones, John G. O'Con- nell, Samuel W. Trost, Ellis G. Kinkead, Dr. Joseph Ransohoff, Oscar W. Kuhn, Rev. Henry M. Curtis, Alfred B. Benedict and S. Sanford Brown. This board has elected as the new presi- dent of the University to take charge in the

summer of 1904 Charles W. Dabney, at present president of the University of Tennessee.

The Medical College of Ohio which had con- tinued to occupy the same site on the south side of Sixth between Vine and Race for the 70 years following 1826 (although the old building was replaced by a new one in 1851) moved to the University building at the McMicken homestead in 1896. This was the result of an agreement entered into by the directors of the University and those of the College under date of April 27, 1896. On the same day an act was passed by the Legislature providing that the affairs of the College should be under the management of the directors of the University.

The dean of the medical faculty is Dr. P. S. Conner, who also acts as professor of surgery and clinical surgery. Other members of the faculty are: Drs. Thad. A. Reamy, C. D. Palm- er, Frederick Forchheimer, Joseph Ransohoff, James G. Hyndman, R. K. Ratchford, Allyn C. Poole, E. Gustav Zinke, August Ravogli, Albert V. Phelps, Charles L. Bonifield, William HI. Crane, Brooks F. Beebe, Horace J. Whitacre and William Mühlberg.

The Ohio College of Dental Surgery was affil- iated with the University of Cincinnati in 1888. This institution had been founded in 1845 and its first board of trustees included the names of some well known Cincinnatians,-Drs. B. P. Avdelott, Robert Buchanan, Israel M. Dodge, William Johnson, J. P. Cornell and Calvin Fletcher. The first president was Dr. Aydelott and the first dean, Dr. Jesse M. Cook. In the faculty in addition to Dr. Cook were Drs. M. Rogers, James Taylor and Jesse P. Judkins. Dr. H. H. Smith is the present dean and Dr. H. T. Smith, the secretary of the dental faculty. Other members of the present faculty are Dr. J. S. Cas- sidy, C. M. Wright, William Knight, Grant Molyneaux and T. I. Way.

The Law Department of the University of Cincinnati was organized in 1896 for the pur- pose of conducting a school along the metli- ods of the Harvard Law School. In May of the following year the Law School of the Cincinnati College which had been founded in 1833 entered into a union with the Univer- sity and its Law School by which the faculty of the Law Department of the University and cer- tain members of the faculty of the Law School of the Cincinnati College should be the faculty of the new school. The degree of Bachelor of Laws is by the terms of this agreement conferred by concurrent action of the board of directors

898

CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI

of the University of Cincinnati and the trus- tees of the Cincinnati College. The first dean of the reorganized school was Hon. William H. Taft who was succeeded upon his appointment as Governor of the Philippines by Gustavus H. Wald. Mr. Wald was dean from March, 1900, until the time of his death in June, 1902. He was succeeded by Harlan Cleveland who acted as dean from July 2, 1902, to September 10th of the same year at which time William P. Rogers was selected as dean of the Law Depart- ment. In the faculty of this department in ad- dition to the dean are Professors William H. Taft, Henry A. Morrill, Judson Harmon, John R. Sayler, Lawrence Maxwell. Harlan Cleve- land, John W. Warrington, William C. Herron and Robert C. Pugh.

Rufus King, for many years a professor in the Law School of the Cincinnati College, be- queathed by his will to the College the sum of $30,000 for the establishment of a professorship - of constitutional law. After the death of Mr. Wald, his mother and brother established the Gustavus H. Wald professorship of contracts. The former chair is held by Professor Morrill and the latter by Dean Rogers. The Law School has just moved into the beautiful new building es- pecially erected for it at a cost of $33,000.

THE CINCINNATI OBSERVATORY.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2, Part 67

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1048

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1048