James Fairchild

James Harris Fairchild (1817–1902) was an American educator.

Harris was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, on November 25, 1817. His father was Grandison Fairchild. Soon after his birth his parents moved to Brownhelm, Lorain County, Ohio, and settled on a farm about ten miles from the present site of Oberlin College. When Oberlin opened its doors in 1834, Fairchild entered as a freshman. He graduated in 1838. The year after graduation he was appointed tutor in the college, was ordained in 1841, and in 1842 became professor of Latin and Greek. In 1847, he was transferred to the chair of mathematics, and in 1858 to that of theology and moral philosophy. In 1866, he became the third president of the college. During his tenure, the faculty and physical plant of the college expanded dramatically. In 1889, he resigned as president but remained as chair of systematic theology.

Note

*"This entry is based largely on the National Cyclopaedia biography which is in the public domain".

Further reading

* "Fairchild, James Harris." "American National Biography" (1999). 7:682-683.
* "Fairchild, James Harris." "The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography" (1895). 2:464-465.