John Tyler Caldwell


John Tyler Caldwell was an American educator who presided over three universities, including North Carolina State University.

Early life

John Tyler Caldwell was born on December 19, 1911 in Yazoo City, Mississippi. He received a B.S. from Mississippi State College in 1932, an M.A. from Duke University in 1936, and a Ph.D. in political science from Princeton University in 1939 as a Julius Rosenwald Fellow.

Career

He was a professor of political science at Holmes Junior College from 1932–1936 and was a professor at Vanderbilt University from 1939-1947. Meanwhile, Caldwell also entered the US Navy as an Ensign in 1942 to serve in World War II and was awarded a Bronze Star for his service in the Battle of Okinawa. He left the Navy in 1946 as a Lieutenant Commander.
Caldwell was named president of the University of Montevallo in Alabama in 1947. After leaving Montevallo in 1951, he served as president of the University of Arkansas. Here, he supervised the development and expansion of the University's Graduate school and saw the beginning of the process of racial integration.
In 1959, Caldwell was named the eighth chancellor of North Carolina State University. During his tenure, the university established the School of Physical Sciences and Applied Mathematics and the School of Liberal Arts. After his retirement from the office in 1975 Caldwell continued to teach in the Department of Political Science.
Caldwell was an Eagle Scout, recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, and worked with Scouting much of his life.

Death and legacy

Caldwell died in Raleigh, North Carolina at the age of 83. The NC State Alumni Association established the John T. Caldwell Alumni Scholarship Program in 1977 to recruit outstanding high school seniors to NC State.
NCSU Libraries Special Collections Research Center serves as the repository for John Tyler Caldwell's manuscript papers and University Archives. Caldwell Hall at NCSU was also named after him. Additionally, the North Carolina Humanities Council named its highest honor after Caldwell.