Henry Sims Hartzog Presidential Records
Collection
Identifier: Series-0025
This series contains the files of Henry Sims Hartzog, President of Clemson College, 1897-1902. Within the files are official correspondence from 1898-1899, September through 1899, an assortment of miscellaneous papers including information on the South Carolina Co-educational Institution, a military boarding school at Edgefield, South Carolina; various personal letters; biographical material that includes a personal sketch of Hartzog written by Samuel M. Martin, a professor of mathematics at Clemson College, a resume, and newspaper clippings chronicling Hartzog's resignation. Also included are two addresses given by Hartzog.
The files document the history of Clemson College in the latter nineteenth century. Topics included in the letters concern admission of cadets, Hartzog's role as intermediary between parent and cadet, his role in daily operations, for example, accepting bids on printing jobs, hiring night watchmen, and purchasing bells for the Tillman Hall clock tower.
Unrestricted
Henry Sims Hartzog was born 17 July 1866, the son of Samuel and Mary Owen Hartzog in Barnwell County, South Carolina. He was graduated from the Citadel in 1886. From 1886-87, he served as principal of Allendale High School. In 1887, he entered the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary at Louisville, Kentucky and, in 1889, received a divinity degree. He returned to South Carolina to preach and to teach school. In 1890, he was also appointed superintendent of the Bamberg Graded Schools. He married Cornellia Harley of Allendale the following year; they had six sons. In 1893, he accepted the position of superintendent at Johnston Institute, a combined high school and boarding school in Edgefield County. On 15 September 1897, Hartzog was elected President of Clemson College by the Board of Trustees.
During Hartzog's presidency, enrollment grew making Clemson College the largest agricultural and mechanical college in the South by the fall of 1899. The physical plant was also enlarged. John Heisman was hired as the college's football coach, and the team began winning over archrivals such as South Carolina College.
Amid grievances between students and faculty over charges brought before the discipline committee, complaints about the administration of college affairs, and demands from students, Hartzog submitted his resignation in 1902. The Board of Trustees investigated the charges against Hartzog, found them to be invalid, and asked him to stay. Hartzog refused and his resignation was accepted in August 1902.
After serving as President of the University of Arkansas and Ouachita Baptist College, Hartzog died in St. Louis, Missouri, 15 December 1953.
0.33 Cubic Feet
English
The folders are arranged alphabetically. Material within each folder is arranged chronologically. Deteriorating paper has been photocopied onto acid-free bond for preservation. For a listing of folders see the "Container List."
The book of correspondence was produced in the Office of the President of Clemson College. The assortment of biographical information was collected from numerous sources over the years.
Katherine Fracasso-Lee, March 1990.
The conversion of this finding aid to Encoded Archival Description format was made possible with a grant from the South Carolina State Historical Records Advisory Board in 2009-2010. The finding aid was prepared for encoding by Carl Redd.
Part of the Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Repository