Benjamin Ide Wheeler facts for kids

Benjamin Ide Wheeler, 1899

Benjamin Ide Wheeler (born July 15, 1854 – died May 2, 1927) was an important American scholar and educator. He was a professor of Greek and comparative philology (the study of languages and their history) at Cornell University. He was also a writer and served as the President of the University of California from 1899 to 1919.

Life and Career

Wheeler Hall at the University of California, Berkeley

Early Life and Education

Benjamin Ide Wheeler was born in Randolph, Massachusetts, on July 15, 1854. His father, Rev. Benjamin Wheeler, was a church pastor, and his mother was Mary Eliza (Ide) Wheeler. Benjamin went to public schools in Haverhill and Saco, Maine. In 1866, he started high school at what was then called Thornton Academy in Saco.

Later, in 1868, his family moved to Franklin, New Hampshire. He attended Franklin Academy and then New London Academy, which is now Colby–Sawyer College. He graduated from New London Academy in the summer of 1871.

College Years

In the autumn of 1871, Benjamin Ide Wheeler began his studies at Brown University. He graduated in 1875. During his time at college, he was a top student, especially in English, writing, and speaking. He was also recognized by his teachers as someone who would likely be very successful in life.

Teaching Career

After graduating from college, Wheeler taught at Providence High School for four years. For the first two years, he mainly taught mathematics. For the last two years, he taught both classics (like Greek and Latin) and mathematics. In 1879, he became a tutor at Brown University, teaching Greek and Latin.

Marriage

On June 25, 1881, Benjamin Ide Wheeler married Amey Webb. She was from Providence, Rhode Island. Her grandfather, Jabez Gorham, founded a famous silver company called Gorham Silver, which later became the Gorham Manufacturing Company.

Studies Abroad and Return

Studying in Germany

From 1881 to 1885, Wheeler spent four years studying at universities in Germany. He studied in cities like Leipzig, Heidelberg, Jena, and Berlin. In 1885, he earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Heidelberg. He graduated with the highest honors, summa cum laude. His special research focused on Greek language, and his work led to a discovery known as "Wheeler's Law" about how words are stressed in Greek.

Coming Back to America

After his studies in Germany, Wheeler returned to the United States. He worked as an instructor at Harvard University for one year (1885–1886). Then, he became a professor at Cornell University for thirteen years. He taught classical languages and the history of languages.

In 1899, Benjamin Ide Wheeler became the President of the University of California.

Other Important Roles

Wheeler also taught Greek literature at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece, from 1895 to 1896. Later, from 1909 to 1910, he was a special professor at the University of Berlin. He was a member of several important academic groups, including the American Oriental Society and the American Philological Association.

He received honorary law degrees from nine different universities, including Princeton, Harvard, and Yale. He also received an honorary literature degree from the University of Athens in Greece.

During the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, he helped the mayor as a member of the Committee of Fifty, which worked to help the city recover.

Retirement from University of California

During World War I, Benjamin Ide Wheeler retired as President of the University of California. This happened after the war ended, as public feelings changed.

Under Wheeler's leadership, the University of California grew a lot. He also increased the power of the university president, gaining the ability to choose all the professors.

Legacy and Honors

Benjamin Ide Wheeler left a lasting impact:

• Wheeler Hall at the University of California, Berkeley is named in his honor.
• A Liberty ship (a type of cargo ship built during World War II) called the SS Benjamin Ide Wheeler was named after him.
• The Benjamin Ide Wheeler Medal was created in 1929 to honor his contributions.
• He was a founding member of the Commonwealth Club of California in 1903, a group that discusses public issues.

Benjamin Ide Wheeler Medal

Since 1929, the Benjamin Ide Wheeler Medal has been given to people in the Berkeley community who have made outstanding contributions. Since 1994, the Berkeley Community Fund has given this award, calling it "Berkeley's Most Useful Citizen." The award was given every two years until 1991, and then it became an annual award in 1994. Many notable people have received this medal:

Works

Benjamin Ide Wheeler wrote several books and articles during his career:

• Analogy in Language (1887)
• Introduction to the Study of the History of Language (1890)
• Organization of the Higher Education in the United States (1896)
• Dionysos and Immortality (1899)
• Life of Alexander the Great (1900)
• Instruction and Democracy in America (1910)

He also wrote articles for magazines, including:

• "The old world in the new," published in The Atlantic in August 1898.
• "Art in Language," published in The Atlantic in December 1900.