Robert Judson Aley
Robert Judson Aley | |
|---|---|
| 5th President of the University of Maine | |
| In office 1911–1921 | |
| Preceded by | Board of Trustees |
| Succeeded by | Harold Boardman |
| 11th President of the Butler University | |
| In office 1921–1931 | |
| Preceded by | James W. Putnam |
| Succeeded by | Walter S. Athearn |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 11, 1863 Coal City, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | July 1, 1935 (aged 72) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Valparaiso University (BA) Indiana University Bloomington (BA, MA) Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania (PhD) |
| Profession | Academic administrator, schoolteacher |
Robert Judson Aley (May 11, 1863 – July 1, 1935) was an American mathematician, academic administrator, teacher and university president. Aley served as the fifth President of the University of Maine from January 1911 to August 1921, and then as President of Butler College in Indianapolis, Indiana from 1921 to 1931.[1]
Education and early career
Robert Judson Aley was born on May 11, 1863, in Coal City, Indiana.[2] He attended public schools.
Aley began his teaching career at the age of 14. After three years of teaching in rural schools, he attended and eventually graduated from Valparaiso University (Bachelor of Science, 1882). He worked as a Principal in Spencer, Indiana, after leaving Valparaiso while also studying for a Bachelor of Arts from Indiana University.
He earned two degrees from Indiana: a BA degree in 1888, and Master of Arts in 1890. He was the first person to receive a degree in mathematics from Indiana University.[3] He became a professor of mathematics at Vincennes University in 1888 until 1891.[2] He was hired as head of the mathematics department at Indiana in 1891 and continued in that position until 1909. During that period, he did graduate work at Stanford University and earned a PhD in mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1897.[1][2]
Maine
Aley became the 5th President of the University of Maine in Orono, Maine, in January 1911.[4] A fervent supporter of United States involvement in World War I, he made attendance mandatory for pro-war events in and near the campus.[5]
On April 19, 1919, during the Red Summer, an incident took place at night at Hannibal Hamlin Hall, University of Maine in which two African American students and brothers Samuel E. Courtney Jr. (1897–1929) and Roger Davis Courtney (1901–1930) were tarred and feathered by a white mob.[6][7] The event was described by President Aley as a hazing event and not race related.[8][9] Both of the Courtney brothers transferred to other universities as a result.[10]
Death
Aley died of pneumonia in 1935 at the age of 72, in his home in New York City.[11]
References
- ^ a b Boop, Roger W. (2008). Fulfilling the Charter: The Story of the College of Education at Butler University and More ... iUniverse. ISBN 978-0-595-44587-5.
- ^ a b c Old Penn: Weekly Magazine of the University of Pennsylvania. University of Pennsylvania. 1916. p. 750 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Elbert Frank Cox - Evansville Boneyard John Baburnich Living". web.usi.edu. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
- ^ Fernald, Merritt Caldwell (1916). History of the Maine State College and the University of Maine. University of Maine. p. 159 – via Google Books.
- ^ Smith, David C. "The First Century: A History of the University of Maine, 1865-1965." (1979), p. 102.
- ^ Sieber, Karen (February 7, 2022). "In 1919, a Mob in Maine Tarred and Feathered Two Black College Students". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ "Near Race Riot Follows Hazing Univ. of Maine". Evening Express. May 1, 1919. p. 17. Retrieved September 11, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Courtney Brothers Hazing Incident". Kennebec Journal. May 3, 1919. p. 10. Retrieved September 11, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Statement by President Aley". Commercial. May 3, 1919. p. 3. Retrieved September 11, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Sieber, Karen (February 8, 2021). "The hidden story of when two Black college students were tarred and feathered". The Conversation. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
- ^ "DR. R. J. Aley Dead; University Head; President of Maine From 1910 to 1921, Then of Butler Till Retirement 4 Years Ago. (Published 1935)". The New York Times. November 18, 1935. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
Further reading
- Aley, Robert J. (1918). "The war and secondary schools". The Journal of Education. 87 (7 (2167)): 176–178. doi:10.1177/002205741808700704. ISSN 0022-0574. JSTOR 42829435. S2CID 158402532.
- Aley, Robert J. (1913). "Transition of Pupils from Maine High Schools to the University of Maine". The Journal of Education. 77 (10 (1920)): 258–260. ISSN 0022-0574. JSTOR 42754369.