The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-11-29
Pres. BuCkham of University
of Vermont Dead
AFTER 10 DAYS ILLNESS
He Had Been at the Head Of the State
Institution for Nearly Forty Years
He Was Scholar, Writer and
Public Speaker.

Buckham, president Of the university
OF Vermont for nearly forty years and
one Of the country's leading men Of let
tiers, died at his home in this city this
morning after an illness Of ten days.
Pres. Buckham was rs years old. He
was born July 4, 1892, in Hinckley, Lei
cestershire, England the son Of the Rev.
James and Margaret tBarmbyl Buck
ham, the former Of Scotch and the lat
ter Of English blood. The Rev. James
Biekham was an indep - dent English
clergyman for fourteen years. In 1884
he came to America and preached for
many years in Canada and Vermont. He
.iied in this city at the age OF 90 years.
Matthew Henry Buckham prepared for
college under the instruction Of his fa
ther, a classical scholar of no mean
ability, and was graduated from the uni.
versity Of Vermont with the degree of
bachelor of arts in the class OF 1851
At that time, although only 10 years
old, he received the highest honors of
/ his class For the two years immedi.
ately following he acted as principal Of
Lenox academy, in Massachusetts
Then for year he came back to his
university, where he acted as tu-
/ tor of languages.
The years 1854 and 1856 Mr. Buckham
spent abroad in study, mainly in Ger
many and England Upon his return
/ to this country be was made profes-
sor of Greek at the university Of Yer
mont. This chair he held until he was
elected TO the presidency In 1871 al.
i though from 1863 to 1871. he acted as
4 professor of rhetoric and English htera-
I ture.
/ Mr. Buckham was Nermonts llth
president. In 1871, when Pres Buckham
/ began his long term of Office, there were
/ but six buildings upon the campus, and
now there are 25; the faculty has in
creased from IA members to over 50 at
i the present time and the number Of
/ students has reached over 500. The
greatest prosperity and expansion and
I growth OF the university has come dur
/ ing President Buckham's administration.
But it Is not only in connection with
I The university that Alr. Buckham has
| rendered service. He served as town
superintendent OF education, as city
school commissioner from 1869 to 1880.
and he was a member Of the state board
Of education, 1857 to 1874. In 1876 he
served on the board Of examiners at the
United States Military academy at West
| Point. He was president Of the board
/ OF trustees of the Fletcher library from
It's opening in 1875 to the time of his
death During his college course he
t Joined the Sigma Phi fraternity and he
was an honorary member of the Algon
quin club.
Mr. Buckham was known as a speak
er on religious social and educational
themes. And these were chiefly the sub
iects Of his essays; The Art Of Liy-
ing Together" Not TO Destroy But
to Fulfill 2 "The Real Bible "The Econ
Dmic Situation, ," "The Very Elect. Re-
serve in Matters of Religion Dead
Languages, Fors0othl' "The Preachers
Opportunity as Seen by the College
President" Con Mighty Pens" 'Ihe
Love Of Difficulty" "The Rustic Speech
Of the Englsh-Speaking People" The
Schoolmaster's Self Estimate" "Conco
ad Aiumnos," "The Cultivation of the
Memory" "The Culture of the Imagina-
tion, "Moral Conditions Of Intellectual
Attainment" and Scholarly Accom-
plishments in Everyday Life"
President Buckhams services We're
much in demand on formal occasions Of
public nature, such as the funerals
OF ex-Gov. j. Gregory Smith. Frederick
S. Billings, Senator J. S. Morrill, and
g. G. Benedict and the observance last
spring of the Tooth anniversary of SEN
ator Morri's birth He was also ex-
ceedlngly happy as an after-dinner
speaker and perhaps more than any
other Vermonter Of the present day
be had the faculty Of always saying
the right thing in the right way at
the right time.
President Buckham received the de.
gree of doctor Of divinity from both
Dartmouth and Hamilton colleges in
1877 In 1900 Middlebury college con
feired upon him the degree of doctor
Of laws. Dartmouth and Wesleyan in
1909 each gave him the same degree,
doctor of laws. His masters degree
in arts he took early in his career at
Vermont He was the last surviving
nember Of his class Of 1851.
Mr.. Buekham married December 3,
1857 Miss Elizabeth Wright of Shore
ham. They had five children, Of whom
James, the eldest, a. journalist, died
about three years ago. John Wright
BuclSham is a clergyman in Berkeley,
Cal, Charles Wyman is an architect
in New York City Robert Barmby is a
lawyer in Salem, Mass. and a daughter,
Mary, the wife of William Marsh, re-
sides in Boston. After the death Of his
first wife, Mr.. Buckham married, in Sep
tember, 1897, Martha 6. Tyler, a daugh
ter of the Rev Josiah Tyler, ID. D..
missionary in Africa for many years and
later Of St Johnsbuy. Mr. Buckham
is survived by his second wife and one
young daughter, and by four Of his chill
dren by the first marriage
President Buckham had been troubled.
more or less, for a year with bronchial
affection and it was partly to seek re-
lief from this that he went to England
directly after the university closed last
June. The trip was not altogether sue
C ssful, although he returned with a
fair measure Of health and was able 70
take up his duties as president with
the opening Of college in September.
Maccabees, noticel The record keeper 4