Charles De Garmo Papers

Charles De Garmo was born on January 7, 1849, in Wisconsin. He graduated from Illinois State Normal University in 1873, and after teaching in the Illinois public schools, he went on to receive his doctorate from the University of Halle in Germany in 1886. In 1875 he married Ida Witbeck, and they had three children. He became a professor of modern Languages and reading at his alma mater until he was elected President of Swarthmore College in September 1891. While not a Quaker, De Garmo's ancestors were Friends, and his views and philosophy were in keeping with the Society of Friends.

De Garmo's goal as President was to lift Swarthmore students out of their introversion and make them aware of the roaring tide of political and economic events transpiring in the outside world, or at least in their own country, according to Professor William I. Hull's unpublished history of Swarthmore College. To achieve his goal, he established a Department of Economics and Social Science. He was dedicated to quality education.

Under his presidency a great deal of progress was made despite an economic depression which began in 1893 and the frugality of the Board. A gym was built for women; the first two fellowships, the Joshua Lippincott Fellowship and the Lucretia Mott Fellowship, were established and awarded for 1893-94; and after a fire caused partial destruction of Science Hall, it was restored and enlarged in 1894-95. A chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was granted in 1896. In student life, interest increased in athletics and fraternities.

De Garmo wanted the Board to pay more attention to what other colleges in the nation were doing in terms of requirements and the quality and quantity of teaching staff and equipment. He also wanted more power as President, but the Board was not willing to relinquish its authority. Discouraged by the lack of support in his educational goals, De Garmo decided to return to teaching. He resigned in 1898 and became a Professor of Education at Cornell University. He retired in 1914 and died on May 14, 1934, in Florida