WI BIO - Dane Co - ADAMS, Charles Kendall
Biographical Review of Dane County, WI. Chicago: Biographical Review Pub. Co. 
1893. Vol I, pp 247-248

Charles Kendall ADAMS, president of the University of WI, Madison, Dane 
County, was born 24 Jan 1835 at Derby, Orleans County, VT, a direct 
descendant in the seventh generation from William ADAMS, who settled in 
Cambridge, [Middlesex County], MA, in 1636. His father moved to VT in 1845, 
from New Ipswich [Hillsborough County], NH. His early education was in the 
common country school, and at the age of 16 he began teaching and taught four 
successive winters in his native town. He went to Derby Academy two terms, 
having acquired, before his was 19, such an education in mathematics as was 
necessary to become a surveyor.

In the summer of 1855 it was decided by his parents to move to IA. In the 
autumn the subject of this sketch, after visiting some relatives in Boston, 
NJ, and OH, reached Denmark, [Lee County], IA, where some relatives had been 
established for several years. His father and mother and his only sister 
followed in the spring. For several years it had been his great desire to 
acquire a collegiate education, but owing to the financial condition of the 
family it had not been practicable. Though is father and mother very 
earnestly sympathized with his desire, it was impossible for them to render 
him any assistance. In the summer of 1836, when a little more than 21 years 
of age, he decided to prepare for college. The principal of the Denmark 
Academy, Mr. H. K. EDSON, encouraged him to believe that this could be done 
in two years. At the holidays it was decided to make the attempt to complete 
the work in one. He began the study of Latin and Greek in Sep, and in the 
following May had completed all the required work. His devotion to his 
studies, however, during this period had been so arduous that he was attached 
with brain fever, which made it for a time doubtful if he would ever be able 
to resume his studies. The rest from Jun to Sep, however, insured complete 
restoration, and at the opening of the university year, in Sep 1857, he was 
admitted, under heavy conditions, to the freshman class in the University of 
MI. When he started out for college he had $140 with which to go through his 
college course. The financial disasters of 1857 made it impossible for his 
father to render him any assistance. The first two years he supported 
himself partly by teaching. During the vacation between the freshman and 
sophomore years he taught a private school, which yielded him about $70. 
With this sum and his private endeavors he completed the sophomore year. At 
the beginning of the third year he was appointed an assistant in the 
university library, a position which yielded him that year $100. This 
position he held until his graduation, in 1861. He was induced to remain for 
post graduate studies, partly by the fact that the post of assistant 
librarian was made more desirable by an increase of salary to $200, and 
partly by the encouragement received from Professor [p 248] Andrew D. WHITE, 
in whose work he had become specially interested. Near the close of the year 
he took one of President WHITE's classes, and at the end of the year was 
appointed instructor in Latin and history.

In 1863 he was advanced to the rank of assistant professor, a position which 
he held until 1867, when, on the resignation of President WHITE to go to 
Cornell University as president, Charles Kendall ADAMS was appointed 
professor of history and given leave of absence for somewhat more than a year 
for study and travel in Europe. During his period of absence his object was 
to so increase his knowledge of German, French, and Italian as to enable him 
to use them readily to make the acquaintances of the educational methods of 
Germany and France particularly, and to visit as many places of historical 
interest as practicable. Instead of settling for continuos study in any one 
university, he spent about three months at Bonn, a month at Heidelberg, two 
months at Leipzig, a month at Berlin, and at month at Munich, about two 
months in Italy, and from two to three months in Lausanne, Geneva, and Paris. 
Soon after his return, in 1868, he established a historical seminary in the 
University of MI, modeled after the methods pursued in Germany. On the 
establishment of a school of political science in MI, Mr. ADAMS was appointed 
its dean, at the same time he was also appointed non-resident lecturer on 
history at Cornell University. This position took him for three weeks to 
Cornell at about the middle of each year.

In 1855 he was elected to the presidency of Cornell University, and during 
the seven years of his incumbency of that position the number of students was 
increased from 560 to more than 1,500. The endowment of the university was 
increased by $2,000,000. In 1879 he received the degree of Doctor of Laws in 
the University of Chicago, and in 1886 the same degree was conferred by 
Harvard University. In 1892 President ADAMS resigned the presidency of 
Cornell University with the purpose of devoting his life henceforth to the 
writing of history, but in the course of the summer he received several 
invitations to resume educational work, and finally accepted the presidency 
of the University of WI.

In 1873 Charles Kendall ADAMS published his volume entitled "Democracy and 
Monarchy in France," a book which attracted the attention and favorable 
criticism of scholars. In 1882 he published a memoir of historical 
literature, a work which is designed for the use of students, librarians and 
general readers. This work was the result of ten years of arduous 
application, and is very generally used by historical students in Europe as 
well as in America. A third edition of the work, much enlarged and improved, 
appeared in 1889. In 1892 he published three volumes entitled "British 
Orations, with Historical and Critical Notes,"designed to be of assistance to 
those who are studying the representative orations of British orators. In 
1892 he issued a small volume on "Christopher Columbus, His Life and Works," 
the result of careful and critical study of the original authorities. He has 
been a frequent contributor to European and American reviews, including the 
Contemporary Review, The Forum, and the North American. He has also 
published numerous monographs, and is a member and fellow of a large number 
of learned societies. In 1890 he was elected president of the American 
Historical Association.

Submitted by Cathy Kubly