Elmer Ellsworth Brown

For other people named Elmer Brown, see Elmer Brown (disambiguation).

Elmer Ellsworth Brown (1861–1934) was an American educator.

Elmer Brown
7th President of New York University
In office 1911–1933
Preceded by	Henry MacCracken
Succeeded by	Harry Woodburn Chase
United States Commissioner of Education
In office July 1, 1906 – June 30, 1911
President	Theodore Roosevelt William Howard Taft
Preceded by	William Harris
Succeeded by	Philander Claxton
Personal details
Born	(1861-08-28)August 28, 1861 Kiantone, New York, U.S.
Died	November 3, 1934(1934-11-03) (aged 73) New York City, New York, U.S.
Spouse	Fanny Fosten Eddy ​ (m. 1889)​
Education	New York University Illinois State University University of Michigan (BA) University of Halle-Wittenberg (MA, PhD)
Signature

Biography

Born at Kiantone in Chautauqua County, New York, Elmer Ellsworth Brown studied at New York University (NYU), graduated from Illinois State Normal University in 1881 and at the University of Michigan (A.B., 1889); then he studied in Germany and received a Ph.D. from the University of Halle in 1890.^[1]

He married Fanny Fosten Eddy on June 29, 1889.^[1]

He was principal of public schools in Belvidere, Illinois, in 1881-84, assistant state secretary of the YMCA of Illinois (1884–87), and principal of the high school at Jackson, Michigan, in 1890–91. He taught education at the University of Michigan (1891–93) and at the University of California, Berkeley (1893–1906). After directing the reorganization of the United States Bureau of Education as U.S. Commissioner of Education (1906–11), he became chancellor of New York University, where he founded NYU Press in 1916 "to publish contributions to higher learning by eminent scholars."

He was made fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and vice president of the education section in 1907. He led the Andiron Club from 1916 to 1922 and was associated with the Eucleian Society. Brown retired from NYU in 1933 and died in 1934 in New York.^[2]

Works

His works include:

• The Making of Our Middle Schools (1903).
• The Origin of American State Universities (1905).
• Government by Influences, and Other Addresses (1909).
• An Efficient Organization and Enlarged Scope for the Bureau of Education (1910).
• A Few Remarks (1933).