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The Ohio State University Department of Political Science Centennial History Preps.red by: Harvey Walker, Professor Emeritus Department of Political Science The Ohio State University CONTENTS I. GENERAL HISTORY l - 26 II. THE DEPAR'IMENT"S PROGRAM l - 14 III. GRADUATE WORK IN THE DEPARTMENT l - 13 IV. PH.D. GRADUATES l - 14 THE DEPARTMEN'r OF POLITICAL SCIENCE at the OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY,1909-1969 During the first ten years of its operation as an institution of higher education, what is now known as The Ohio State University bore the nan:e of The Ohio College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts. It opened its doors to its first class on September 17, 1873, under Edward Orton as its first President, but it was not to inaugurate its first lectures in government until 1875, when William Colvin, of Cincinnati, was designated as Professor of Political Economy and Civil Polity. He remained for only two years; he was not reappointed in 1877 so that his salary would be av�ilable for a Professor of Mines, Mine Engineering and Metallurgy, whose employment had been mandated by The State Legislature, without provision of an appropriation for his salary. In 1878 the name of the institution was changed to The Ohio State University. In 1879 the Board of Trustees created a Department of History and PLilosophy with John T. Short of Columbus as Assistant Professor. Two ye�s later, in 1881, the second president, Walter Q. Scott, was named for the institution with the additional title of Professor of Philosophy and Political Economy. He was a native of Dayton and had been teaching at Wooster College. After only two years, in 1883, he resigned and was s�cceeded by William Henry Scott who took the title of President and also that of Professor of Philosophy and Political Economy. President William Henry Scott had been Superintendent of Schools in Athens, Ohio (:;..352-64) and President of Ohio University at Athens (1871-1883). He became Pr��ident of The Ohio State University on July 26, 1883, only 36 days after he had been named to the office pro tem. 2 President Scott, in his first report, called for the creation of a Department of Political and Social Science, but the realization of this visio� was not to be attained for another 20 years. In June 1885 the university employed one of the rare Renaissance men who occasionally appear on college faculties--Professor George Wells Knig.�t. He was given the title of Professor of History and English Language and Literature. Later he became at various times first dean of The College of Education, Professor of Law (1903-1905) and dean of The College of Law. He also served as a delegate to The Ohio Constitu­ tional Convention of 1912. In 1887, English Language and Literature was made a separate department. In 1889 President Scott again asked for a chair of social sciences. T'ne Board responded by assigning this work to Professor Knight as a part of his duties as chairman of The Department of History. A great expansion came in 1891 with the creation of a state tax levy for the benefit of the University and a substantial increase in federal funds for University purposes. The following year President Scott commented in his annual report on the healthy growth of the work in History and Political Science. Two years later George W. Rightmire was appointed to offer a special class on Civil Government and ?resident Scott again noted substantial growth in t�e nuriber of students in this area. In July 1894 the Presidency of the University was offered to Chancellor Ja.m�s H. Canfield of the University of Nebraska. He was a native of Delaware, Ohio. Before moving to Nebraska he had spent 14 years at the University of Kansas teaching Engl"ish language and literature as well as 3 history and political science. He accepted, but was unable to arrange to take over his new duties until July 1, 1895. President Scott retained his post until President Canfield arrived. Y.a.ny momentous changes occurred soon after President Canfield took over the Presidency. A College of Arts was created and Samuel Derby was na.rr.ed Dean. Preparatory work of sub-college level was terminated. A Summer School was established. Pre-professional work for two years for both law and journalism was set up, including American government and municipal government in the second year. In 1898, the chair of Professor George W. Knight was divided. He retained iunerice.n History and Political Science. Economics and sociology were confided to Professor F. C. Clark, who had been Professor Knight's associate. In the same year the University received a gift from William Jenn:.n.;s Bryan for an annual prize for the "best essay discussing the principles which underlie our form of government," an award which still is administered by The Department of Political Science today. President Canfield resigned his post in 1899 to become the Librarian of Columbia University in New York. In his final report to the Board of Trustees of Ohio State he referred to the new importance of courses in Amer­ ican history and political science. "The war (with Spain) and its af't<;;:..�rnath," he said, "placed renewed emphasis on the importance of training our young men and women in history and political science, especi­ ally in the history, policy and institutions of the United States as a nation." He said it was especially incumbent on tl:e state university "to oake large provision for the profession of citizenship--a profession on which all others must depend for safety and progress." "The University," 4 he pointed out was, "at t:1.e very center of a great laboratory in political science--the complete machinery of state and municipal government is in everyday operation here--while several important branches of national administration are represented in the city... It should be comparatively easy," he said, "to build up here a great school of American history and political science, inferior to none in the country. If Ohio is to retain her rank as a mother of statesmen and political leaders am. the home of an intelligent and masterful citizenry, these demands must be met, and by no other institution so appropria,tely as by the state University." 'I'he fifth President of The Ohio State University was W. 0. Thompson, who served as such from 1899 to 1925. He came to the Columbus campus from an ei6ht year term as President of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He was born in 1855 in Cambridge, Ohio, was graduated from Muskingum College in �878 and was a Presbyterian minister for several years before entering into ecucational administration. 11he staff of tre Department of History and Political Science, as it appears in the University budget for 1902-1903,included Professor George w. Knight, Assistant Professor Theodore C. Smith and Instructor George W. Rig:1tmire. Four months later Instructor (later President) Rightmire was e:ected by the Board to be an Instructor in the College of Law, from which he ii�G been graduated in 1895, leaving the department with only Professor K.:lig:�t to teach the courses in political science, since Professor Smith was 2ssigned to teach American History. For 1903-1904 Henry Russell SpeLcer, a graduate of Princeton and of Colby College, Waterville, Maine was add.cd. as an instructor. In 1904-1905 A. H. Tuttle served as an Assistant Professor and he, Knight and Spencer constituted the teaching 5 staff of the Department of America.11 History and Politi cal Science. The following year there were Professor Knight.(who had assumed the additional duty of Chairman of the Graduate Board), Assistant Professor Tuttle and Henry R. Spencer, who had been promoted to the rank of Assistant Professor. In 1905 Assistant Professor Spencer was recalled to Princeton as a Preceptor, but he stayed for only two years, returning to Ohio State in the fall of 1907 at a full Professor rank. This was one step toward the sepa.i·ation of Political Science from .American History and the creation c: the Department of Political Science. Professors Knight and Spencer spent two years preparing careful plans for this change, and the Board of Trustees, in the spring of 1909, finally approved the creation of the new department with Professor Spencer as its head. During this two year preparatory period Professor Knight took a leave of atsence of one year, leaving Professor Spencer in charge. Before he took his departure, to become the Acting Dean of the College of Law (January lo, 1908), Clarence A. Dykstra was appointed as an instructor to keep abreast of the course load. The name of E. P. Tanner also appears on the 1908-1909 budget for the still-intact Department of American History and Political Science. In October 1908 George Rightmire relieved Professor Knight as acting dean of the College of Law and Professor Tuttle was appointed to the law school facu]jty to teach constitutional law. 'L1e action of the Board of Trustees dividing the Department of Poli­ tical Science from the Department of .American History was taken on March 26, 1909 and became effective on July 1, 1909. During the first year of separate operation the roster of the Depart­ �ent of American History included the names of Professor Ifnight and 6 Assistant Professors E. P. Tanner and c. A. Dykstra who taught Consti­ tutional Histo:-cy and Constitutional Government, while that of the Department of Political Science included Professor Spencer and Walter J. Shepard, the latter having come from the University of Wisconsin after training at Wilamette University and Harvard.

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