William M. Beardshear

1850-1902; president 1891-1902

Ohio-born, Beardshear joined the Union army at the age of 14 and served in the Civil War, studied for the ministry at Otterbein College and Yale University, filled several pastorates before coming to Iowa in 1881 as president of Western College at Toledo. He was West Des Moines superintendent of schools when an alliance of farm organizations secured his appointment as president of Iowa State.

Most storied of Iowa State presidents, Beardshear was a physically impressive man who combined hard common sense with sentimentality and a robust sense of humor. Many of his goals still were unattained when he suffered a fatal heart attack; but during his administration, Iowa State "came of age."

Quickly winning the respect and affection of students, faculty and the public at large, Beardshear was unhampered by the factionalism that had handicapped his predecessors. He organized Iowa State's academic structure along divisional lines, made exceptionally judicious staff appointments, obtained the school's first state appropriation for operating funds (1900-1902) and induced the General Assembly to broaden the tax base to provide building funds. Adoption of the name "Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts" in 1896 reflected the institution's increasing maturity under his administration.

ISU presidents index.