Henry G. Bennett

Henry G. Bennett (December 14, 1886 – December 22, 1951) was a prominent educational figure in Oklahoma. He served as the president of both Southeastern Oklahoma State University and Oklahoma State University.[1]

For other people named Henry Bennett, see Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington.
Henry G. Bennett
Assistant Secretary of State
In office
November, 1950 – December 22, 1951 (his death)
Personal details
Born
Henry Garland Bennett

December 14, 1886
New Hope, Arkansas, U.S.
DiedDecember 22, 1951
Tehran, Iran
NationalityAmerican
Spouse(s)Vera Pearl Connell (m. January 27, 1913–December 22, 1951; their deaths)
Children5 children
Alma materOuachita Baptist College
ProfessionEducator

He was appointed by President Harry S. Truman as the first director of the Point Four Program, a technical assistance program for developing nations.[2]

Early life

Childhood

Henry Garland Bennett was born in New Hope, Arkansas on December 14, 1886 to Reverend Thomas Jefferson Bennett and Mary Elizabeth (née Bright) Bennett.[3] He had three sisters[4] Although his family moved to Texas before he was one year old he returned to Arkadelphia, Arkansas before school age.[4]

Education

Bennett attended Ouachita Baptist College and obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1907. While at college he was president of Philomathean Literary Society, business manager of the campus yearbook, The Bear, and vice-president of the athletic program. To earn extra money he collected laundry, drove a grocery wagon and delivered mail.[4]

Early career

After graduating accepted a position at a business college in Texarkana, Arkansas.[5] Quit to become a textbook salesman.[6] Moved to Boswell, Oklahoma in 1908 to become a teacher.[7] Became superintendent of Choctaw County in 1909.[7] Became superintendent of Hugo Public schools in 1910.[7]

President of Southeastern Oklahoma State University

Remained superintendent of Hugo schools until accepting presidency of Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 1919 as the sixth president.[7] He met Vera Pearl Connell in Durant, Oklahoma. She was the daughter of a lawyer and judge. They married on January 27, 1913 and had five children.[7]

President of Oklahoma Agricultural & Mechanical College
Statue of Henry G. Bennett on the campus of Oklahoma State University

Bennett was nominated to serve as president of Oklahoma A&M College on June 1, 1928.[8] He served as president of Oklahoma A&M College (now Oklahoma State University) until his appointment to the Point Four Program in November of 1950. While in office, he established a campus master plan that continues to guide physical plant development, including the predominant use of Collegiate Georgian architecture on the campus.[9]

Federal appointment and Point Four Program

In November of 1950, Bennett was appointed as the first Director of the Point Four Program, a technical assistance program for developing nations. His appointment was controversial, as he was a State Department outsider and Truman desired the program to "shake up" the State Department, then under the leadership of Dean Acheson. The Point Four Program was later subsumed into the newly created U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).[9]

Death

Bennett died in a plane crash in Iran serving on an assignment for the Point Four Program. His wife, Vera, was with him and also was killed in the crash. Bennett was returning to a student event at Oklahoma State University when the plane crashed.[7] Secretary of State Dean Acheson spoke at a memorial event in Washington D.C for Bennett.[10] He was interred at Highland Cemetery, Durant, Oklahoma.[11] The Bennett Memorial Chapel at Oklahoma State University serves as a memorial to Bennett and his wife, and to the students of Oklahoma A&M College who were killed in World War I and World War II.[12]

Notes
  1. Paul William Bass, No Little Dreams: Henry Garland Bennett, Educator and Statesman. (2007) Cimarron River Press
  2. Paul William Bass, No Little Dreams: Henry Garland Bennett, Educator and Statesman. (2007) Cimarron River Press
  3. Norris 1986, p. 129.
  4. Norris, p. 129
  5. Norris 1986, p. 129,130.
  6. Norris 1986, p. 130.
  7. Norris, p. 130
  8. Norris 1986, p. 175.
  9. "About Dr. Henry G. Bennett". Oklahoma State University School of International Studies. Oklahoma State University. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
  10. Paul William Bass, No Little Dreams: Henry Garland Bennett, Educator and Statesman. (2007) Cimarron River Press
  11. Norris 1986, p. 177
  12. Sanderson, J. Lewie; McGlamery, R. Dean; Peters, David C. "History of the Oklahoma State University Campus: Centennial Histories Series". Oklahoma State University Library Digital Collections. Oklahoma State University. pp. 210–214. Retrieved 18 June 2015.

References
  • Bass, Paul William (2007). No Little Dreams: Henry Garland Bennett, Educator and Statesman. Stillwater, Oklahoma: Cimarron River Press. ISBN 978-0-9792457-0-1.
  • Norris, L. David (1986). A History of Southeastern Oklahoma State University Since 1909. Durant, Oklahoma: Mesa Publishing Co. ISBN 978-0-930719-10-4.

Further reading
  • Chapman, Berlin. Dr. Henry G. Bennett as I knew him. Oklahoma Historical Society.
  • Rulon, Philip (1975). A History of Oklahoma State University. Stillwater, Oklahoma.
  • Current Biography, Volume 12. H.W. Wilson Company. 1951.
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