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Portrait of Horace Stockbridge
taken in 1890 while at Purdue, Univ. |
The first president of North Dakota Agricultural College (NDAC), Horace E. Stockbridge, was also, at the age of 33, the youngest president. He was born in Hadley, Massachusetts on May 19, 1857. He attended Massachusetts Agricultural College, where he received his degree in 1878. In 1880 he served as Assistant Chemist for the USDA, and in 1881 he was an instructor at Massachusetts Agricultural College. He did his graduate work at Boston University in agricultural chemistry, and he received his PH.D. from the University of Goettingen, Germany, in 1884.
Following his studies, in 1884-85, he was an associate professor of chemistry at Massachusetts Agricultural College. From 1885 to 1889 Stockbridge was employed as professor of chemistry and geology at the Japanese Imperial College of Agriculture and Engineering and was also chief chemist for the Japanese government for the latter two years. Prior to coming to Fargo, Stockbridge was director of the Experiment Station at Purdue University in 1889.
In 1890 Stockbridge was given the position of president of NDAC and director of the Experiment Station. While at NDAC, Stockbridge was responsible for selecting the location of the college, appointing instructors, the constructing of buildings, and the organization of the experiment buildings. He was also the designer of College Hall, which is now known as Old Main. Stockbridge instituted special short winter courses for farmers in agriculture and related sciences, which were the first of their kind in the nation. He left NDAC in 1893, due to political reasons, and subsequently moved to Americus, Georgia. In 1897 he accepted a position at Florida Agricultural College as professor of agriculture. From 1906 to 1922 he was the agriculture editor for the Southern Ruralist, of which he was also co-founder. In 1922 he began editing for the Southern Farmland and Dairy, which he did until his retirement due to poor health. In 1957 a new men's residence hall was built and named in honor of President Stockbridge. Horace Stockbridge died on October 30, 1930 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Stockbridge was a very accomplished individual. He was president of the Farmer's National Congress for two years. He also wrote several books on the chemistry of the soil. While in Japan, he discovered a special fertilizer for growing hops, which saved large quantities of rice, a main staple in Japan , which was previously used in brewing. He was the first to obtain petroleum from bituminous shale by distillation. He discovered muscarine, a poisonous alkaloid, which is a product of decomposition. While in Indiana, a team under his direction found the cause and treatment for potato scab. |
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The papers of Horace E. Stockbridge contains biographical material, a copy of an address given by H. L. Walster before the Quarter Century Club of NDAC on May 13, 1957, copies of letters to Professor Stockbridge from J. B. Power about the North Dakota Agricultural College presidency and the offering of the position (1890), and copies of letters from President Stockbridge to Governor Shortridge regarding various concerns (1893). |
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Horace E. Stockbridge – biographical information “Horace Edward Stockbridge, Ph.D., First President of the North Dakota Agricultural College”- an address by H. L. Walster to the Quarter Century Club of NDAC, May 13, 1957 (copy). Letter to Professor H. E. Stockbridge, Government Agricultural Station, Lafayette, Indiana, signed by J. B. Power [member of Board of Director of North Dakota Agricultural College] probing to determine if Professor Stockbridge would be interested in the position of President of the College and Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station - June 6, 1890; Letter to Professor Stockbridge from J.B. Power offering the positions - August 22, 1890 (Copy of a press copy). Correspondence to North Dakota Governor Eli C. D. Shortridge: March 4, 1893 – appointments upon governing board of college; April 20, 1893 – bond furnished by treasurer of college; May 12. 1893 – governing board of college; May 13, 1893 – regarding a William G. Hayden, accountant and instructor in bookkeeping; May 15, 1893 - regarding a lock out of Colonel Power, Secretary of the Board of Directors. |
