Rudolph B. Welch

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Rudolph B. Welch
Rudolph B. Welch.jpg
4th President of the Kansas State Normal
In office
August 20, 1879 – June 30, 1882
Preceded byCharles Rhodes Pomeroy
Succeeded byAlbert R. Taylor
Personal details
Born
Rudolph Bair Welch

(1850-07-23)July 23, 1850
Spencerville, Indiana
DiedOctober 12, 1906(1906-10-12) (aged 56)
Topeka, Kansas
Resting placeTopeka, Kansas
Spouse(s)
Margaret Hammond
​
​
(m. 1870⁠–⁠1906)​
Alma materIllinois Wesleyan University
OccupationEducator, attorney

Rudolph Blair Welch (July 23, 1850 – October 12, 1906) was an American educator and attorney most notable for serving as the fourth president of the Kansas State Normal School (KSN), now known as Emporia State University, in Emporia, Kansas.[1]

Biography[]

Early life and career[]

Rudolph Blair Welch was born on July 23, 1850 in Spencerville, Indiana. Welch graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1877 with an education degree.[2] After graduating, Welch immediately became the superintendent of schools in Pontiac, Illinois, serving for 12 years.

Kansas State Normal presidency[]

On August 20, 1879, just fourteen days after Charles Rhodes Pomeroy's resignation, Welch became the fourth president of the Kansas State Normal School.[3] In 1878, a year before he became president, a fire and tornado struck the administration building on campus.[4] Shortly after taking over as president, the school built two temporary buildings due to the tornado and fire the previous year.[5]

Welch traveled the state of Kansas to promote the school and under Welch's guidance, enrollment grew. On March 6, 1882 Welch resigned to practice law, which would be effective June 30, 1882.[6][7]

References[]

  1. ^ "1918 KS & Kansans, Charles D. Welch". ksgenweb.com.
  2. ^ Andreas, Alfred Theodore (1883). "History of the State of Kansas". google.com.
  3. ^ "A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans". google.com. 1912.
  4. ^ "A Timeline of Emporia State's History". emporia.edu. Archived from the original on April 30, 2015.
  5. ^ "Rudolph B. Welch papers". emporia.edu. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  6. ^ "Report of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction". google.com. 1882.
  7. ^ "A History of the State Normal School of Kansas". google.com. 1889.
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