Schurman, Jacob Gould

Schurman, Jacob Gould (shûr`mən), 1854–1942, American educator and diplomat, b. Freetown, Prince Edward Island. His education was completed in London, Edinburgh, and, as Hibbert fellow, in Heidelberg, Berlin, and Göttingen. In 1886 he became head of the philosophy department at Cornell Univ. Schurman won a notable reputation as teacher, speaker, founder and editor of the Philosophical Review, and author of The Ethical Import of Darwinism (1887) and other philosophical works. In 1892 he succeeded Charles K. Adams as president of Cornell. In that office until 1920, he helped in the expansion of the university. He headed the first U.S. Philippines Commission (1899), was joint author of its report, and wrote Philippine Affairs (1902). Schurman served (1912–13) as minister to Greece, returning to write The Balkan Wars, 1912–1913 (1914); later he was envoy to China (1921–25) and ambassador to Germany (1925–30).