death_date successor death_place birth_place religion title birth_date term_start order spouse article_title term_end name alma_mater
january 11 , 1948 john badeau bryn mawr , pa egypt presbyterian president of the american university in cairo 17 july 1871 1919 1st maria elizabeth powell charles a. watson
 1945 charles r watson princeton university
charles a. watson

dr. charles r. watson -lrb- july 17 , 1871 - january 11 , 1948 -rrb- was the first president of the american university in cairo .
his father was a member of the united presbyterian church of north america african mission .
watson grew up in egypt and returned to the united states in 1889 to continue his education at lawrenceville and then princeton .
he met his wife maria elizabeth powell while attending ohio state university .
in 1912 , watson went on a mission with the united presbyterian board of missions , with the primary goal of identifying the possibility of establishing a christian university in egypt .
he returned from the mission with the strong belief that there should be another western institution for higher learning in egypt .
the institution was finally launched in 1919 after enough funding and suitable location could be guaranteed .
he remained at the auc until john badeau succeeded him as president in 1945 , although he was still heavily active in auc activities until his death in 1948 .
