William Smith Clark

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William Smith Clark.
Göttingen memorial plaque for William S. Clark

William Smith Clark (born July 31, 1826 in Ashfield , Franklin County , Massachusetts , † March 9, 1886 in Amherst , Massachusetts) was an American university professor. He is particularly well known in Japan for his role as o-yatoi gaikokujin (foreign expert).

He had been married to Harrietta K. Richards since 1853, and they had 11 children.

Life

William Smith Clark was the only son of Dr. Atherton Clark and his second wife Harriet Smith Clark were born. He spent his childhood in Ashfield and Cummington.

In 1841 Clark began his education at Williston Seminary in Easthampton, which he graduated in 1844. In the fall of the same year he began his studies at Amherst College , which he graduated in 1848. He then taught science at Williston Seminary until 1850. He then went to Germany, where he studied botany and chemistry at the University of Göttingen and in 1852 received his doctorate. phil. PhD. Back in the States, Clark taught from 1852 to 1867 as a professor of botany, chemistry and zoology at his alma mater, Amherst College. From 1867 to 1879 he served as president of the new Massachusetts Agricultural College .

Clarke's academic career was interrupted by the American Civil War, in which he fought on the side of the Union from 1861 to 1863 , and most recently served with the rank of colonel in the 21st Infantry Volunteer Regiment. He was then elected several times to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in the late 1860s . In 1868 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .

In 1876, at the request of the Meiji government , Clarke traveled to Sapporo , where he was involved in setting up the Sapporo Agricultural College under Kiyotaka Kuroda and was its first vice-president. He is remembered there to this day, especially through his parting words at the end of his eight month stay: “Boys, be ambitious!” ("Boys, be ambitious!").

literature

  • John M. Maki, Brett L. Walker: A Yankee in Hokkaido: The Life of William Smith Clark . Lexington Books 2002.

Web links

Commons : William Smith Clark  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Maki and Walker 2002, p. 1.
  2. ↑ Maki and Walker 2002, p. 17.
  3. ↑ Maki and Walker 2002, p. 17 f.
  4. ^ UMass Presidents William Smith Clark
  5. ↑ “ Boys, Be Ambitious! ”, Time , February 9, 1959.
personal data
SURNAME Clark, William Smith
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American botanist, professor of botany, chemistry and zoology
DATE OF BIRTH July 31, 1826
PLACE OF BIRTH Ashfield , Massachusetts
DATE OF DEATH March 9, 1886
Place of death Amherst , Massachusetts