John Tyler Caldwell

John Tyler Caldwell (December 9, 1911 - October 13, 1995) was born 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. He was a professor of political science at Holmes Junior College from 1932-1936 and at Vanderbilt University from 1939-1947.

Biography

Caldwell 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 Lt. 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. This was noted by its peacefulness in contrast to problems encountered elsewhere.

In 1959 he was named chancellor of North Carolina State University; the school's eighth chief executive. During his tenure, the School of Physical Sciences and Applied Mathematics was established and the university offered degrees in the humanities and social sciences for the first time. After his retirement from the office in 1975 Caldwell continued to teach in the Department of Political Science.

The NC State Alumni Association established the John T. Caldwell Alumni Scholarship Program in 1977 to recruit outstanding high school seniors to NC State. These students were selected on the basis of leadership potential, outstanding scholarship, citizenship, maturity and intellectual promise. From 1977-2004 over 400 Caldwell Alumni Scholarships have been awarded. In 1988, the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges named Caldwell one of Mississippi State's 10 distinguished alumni.

Caldwell was an Eagle Scout, recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, and worked with Scouting much of his life.

Caldwell died in Raleigh, North Carolina at the age of 83.

The North Carolina Humanities Council named its highest honor after Caldwell. [http://www.nchumanities.org/caldwell.html]

References

* [https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/findingaids/xml/mc00037.xml#id0x02cfbf08 North Carolina State Univ. Caldwell Archives]
* [http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/exhibits/chancellors/caldwell.html North Carolina State Univ. Caldwell Biography]
* [http://msuinfo.ur.msstate.edu/alumnus/spring.96/35obit.htm Mississippi State Univ. Obituaries for 1995]
* Image and Reflection: A Pictorial History of the University of Arkansas, Ethel Simpson, U of Arkansas Press, 1991