New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-02
President Emeritus of Ann
ArbOr More than Sc
Years Old.
FATHER OF STATE
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
Served as Minister 10 China and
Turkey-Friend of Horace
Greeley.
IL, r,l.rrsrh 70 lie rrhun. J

Ann Arbor, Mich, April DIR. James
3. Angel, president emeritus OF the
University OF Michigan ard noted as
diplomat and authority or interns-
tional law, died here to-day. Or. Angel
was eighty-six years old. He had been
III almost year and for several months
had been almost blind.
DR.. Angels brother William. Of Chi
cago. and two OF his three children
.Judge Alexis Angel. of Detroit, and
Mrs. Andrew Mclaughlin, OF Chicago -
were at his bedside His other son.
Professor James r. Angel, OF Chicago
was not present.
Or. Angel was born in Seituate. K. l..
on January Z, 1929, the son Of Andrew
and Amy (Aldrch) Angel. He was
graduated from Brown in ls49. In
1896 he was president Of the University
OF Vermont. and in 1871 took up his
work at Michigan.
One of the foremost educators % his
time and the father Of the state unit
versity system Of the Middle West, Or.
ANGEL was also the oldest college
president in length Of service IN the
Unit States. His combined terms at
the University Of Vermont and the Uni
vorsity Of Michigan were forty-eight
years.
Successful at Ann Arbor.
The elective system, co-education and
the rapid growth of state institutions
in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and
Ohio were in large measure due TO his
success in building up the un'v'isity
at Ann Arbor, which increased rom an
enrolment of 1900 when he tooh Office
10 nearly 5000 when he retired
DR.. Angel was probably the only
American who had among his pupils
two secretaries of state Richard Olney
and John Hay WHO had dined with
Sainte Beuve. who had debated with
Joseph Chamberlain and who numbered
among his friends such diverse char
acters as Ii Hung chang. Matthew Ar
mold and Horace Greeley. Olney and
Hay were in his classes at Brown.
where he was a professor before the
Civil War. OF Hay he drew this pict-
ure in his "reminiscences:
"He was modest even TO dlhidenee,
hlushing to the roots of his hair when
he rose TO recite, and he wrote verses
Of unusual merit-for an undergradu-
ate"
In MS "reminiscences he also told this
anecdote of Greeley:
"The editor of The Tribune stamped
into our Office and demanded place
whore he could write. | offered him
my table, which was Of the usual
height.
Wanted High Desk.
"'You don't write at that. do you
said he. Let me have some books TO
pile on It, piled up the bound vol
umes of The Congressional Record
when he was seated until they reached
to his chin, and on top OF that he
spread his paper and wrote
Dr. Angel was Minister to China un-
de Hayes and TO Turkey under Nc
Kinley. He served on the Anglo
American Fisheries Commission in 1887
and was chairman of the Canadian
American Commission on Deep Water
ways in 1895. At the time of his death
he was a regent of the Smithsonian In
stitution.
In 1875 Dr. Angel wrote book on
the progress Of international law. and
he became a recognized authority on
international relations. 1t is said that
he. more than any other man, was re-
sponsible for the Chinese exclusion act,
and as Minister 10 China it devolved
upon him to reconcile the Chinese 70
this discrimination against them. He
did this most skilfully, and the treaties
which he later negotiated with China
resulted in a period OF most amiesble