The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-04-03

DIS O4plOIaL
ANN ARBOR, Mich, April 81
James B. Angel, president emeritus of
the university of Michigan, died at his
home in this city Saturday. He had
been critically i'll for more than a
week.
As one of the foremost educators OF
his time DR.. James Burrill Angel had
the incidental distinction of being the
Oldest college president in point of ser,
vice in the United States. With his
combined terms as head of the uni
versity of Vermont and the University
of Michigan, he had been college
president for 48 years. He was a pt-
oneer in the great system of state uni.
versities and co-education.
Born in Scgtuate, r. l., Jan. z, 1928
James Angel served during his early
manhood as Il farm hand on his faith
! er S estate and attended Brown uni
vcFsity. At "a years he was invited
to become 4 professor of modern ian
guages in the university Among stu,
dents in his classes were Richard OF
ney and John Hay During the late,
years of his work at Brown Prof An
CELL wrote editorials for the Provi
dence Evening Bulletin. and found this
so much to his liking, that he abandon
ed his academic work to become edi-
tor of the paper.
An incident occurred at this time
that demonstrated his insistence upor
plain, unvarnished truth His for
mer student, John Hay, upon gradua
ton from college, had taken up study
of law in Abraham Lincoln s office il
! Springfield, III. Editor Angel en-
! ,g.., =
elas on Lincoln. Considerable sentl
mant about Lincoln as a rail split
! ter appeared in the manuscript. An
gell, on reading the copy, took his pen
ell and slashed it numerically, declar
ing that it was too highly coiored anc
refusing to print exaggeration or sen
|timentality.'
/ "Give us the facts he demanded
- without embellishments
Angel remained in charge of th@
Bulletin during the civil war period
unfailingly Loyal to the government
but at the conclusion of the strife he
accepted call from the university OF
Vermont to become its president. This
in 1866, was two years before DR.
Charles w. Eliot received his appoint
ment to Harvard.
After five years in Vermont. DIR. An
CELL gave way to insistent calls from
Michigan and accepted the presidency
of the state university there in 1871
During his administration the SUDDEN
body increased from 1,2G7 to 5,lsS
The annual appropriations rose from
$33, 600 to 5000 600 The faculty grew
from 80 members to 400.
Il am frequently asked how l &C
count for this phenomenal growth, ,
explained President Angel, modestly
''It is due in a large measure, think
to the excellence eff our faculty
His fellow-edueators however, be
stow a larger measure Of credit upol
DR.. Angel. Dr. Finley of the New
York state board of education says
- President Angel has put the lowe
, OF every high school graduate in Mich
! gan, to give him every incentive t
: climb to the higher education. TIL
: mechanism has grown under his hand
) uatii it has become the largest an
most complete of its kind.
{ As diplomat, DIR. Angel gained i'll
. tcrnational distinction. He was sen
: b. President Hayes as minister t
. China in 1S80-81. During this time h
acted as commissioner in negotiatin
!. important treaties. He was appoiute
By President Mckinley as minister t
Turkey in 1897. His public service a
, 50 included appointments to the inter
j national commission on Canadian fish
). cries and chairmanship of the Cana
= dian American Commission on dee
!. waterways from the Great lakes TO til
J. sea.
J. In 1875 DR.. Angel wrote a book o.
|. the progress of international law an
) be became q recognized authority o
J. international relations. It is said tina
|. he, more than any other man, was r.
!. sponsible for the Chinese-exclusion aer
!. and as minister to China it devolve
4 upon him to reconcile the Chimes
e to this discrimination against Their
d He did this NEST skilfully and IL
:. treaties which he later negotiated wit
q China resulted in . period of most an
Is icable and profitable relations.