Francis Wharton
From KCpedia
First Professor of English at Kenyon College
Contents |
Early Life
Francis Wharton was born March 7, 1820 in an old Philadelphia mansion across from Independence Square. At the age of seventeen he entered Yale College and graduated in 1839. In 1843 Dr. Wharton was admitted to the bar in Philadelphia. During his travels Dr. Wharton visited Kenyon College and Seminary where he accepted the position of Professorship of English History and Literature. The new department included courses on logic, rhetoric, and constitutional law.
Life at Kenyon
He was well-regarded at the college, and dedicated himself to his students both in the classroom and in his spare time. His house becomes a home to many students seeking comfort, advice, or engaging conversation. A very religious man, the design of his published work was to prove the existence of God "in such a shape, as the best to impress the American mind of the present day." Wharton writes that the existence of God, as "an external executive punishing the violators of his law, may be inferred from the physical consequences of a violation of conscience."
While at Kenyon, he maintained a rich and frequent correspondence with a number of men, among whom Bishop McIlvaine stands out as one of Wharton's most dedicated friends, and prominent figure of his time.
Europe
In 1859 Wharton traveled to Europe, and shortly after his return in 1860 he became engaged to a daughter of Lewis R. Ashhurst, Esq., of Philadelphia; he was married on December 27th of the same year. His first wife had died in 1854, while he was still practicing in Philadelphia.
After Dr. Wharton's second marriage, in 1860, rumors of approaching war were beginning to trouble the quiet of the College and Seminary. Those who had relatives and friends in the South were very anxious, and among students there became manifest the same clash of interests and ideologies which permeated throughout the whole country. By February 1860, the Southern students mostly left the Hill to join their States. Wharton found the situation very distressing, and, with the state of blockade that existed for some years, the uncertainty concerning the fate of those he loved in the South was often a cause of grief.
After the birth of his daughter in 1861, his old desire to enter the ministry asserted itself again, and after a year of special preparation, he was ordained Deacon at Cleveland in 1862. A month later Wharton received Priest's orders. Several of his sermons have been published, and a small volume of lectures called "The Silence of Scripture." In 1863 he was called to the parish of St. Paul's. Brookline, Massachussets. The Church, his Sunday schools and Mission schools became, under his administration, crowded. After six years of labor in Brookline, Dr. Wharton projected a second trip to Europe with his wife and his two daugthers. His interest in legal matters was revived at this time, and, in 1870, he spent six months in Dresden, completing his work on "Conflict of Laws," which was published on his return to the United States. During this time, Wharton began a correspondence with a number of learned men in Germany, Italy, and France, which led to his election as a member of the "Droit International" Society. Wharton and his family spent the winter in Germany, spring in Italy, and summer in Switzerland.
Life in Boston
After his return from Europe, health problems forced Wharton to resign his parish and accept a position as a Professor in the then Infant Seminary of the Episcopal Church in Cambridge. Wharton's arival in the midst of this homogeneous society of refinement and literary tradition, the centre of Puritan learning, was an event of social importance. Here, Wharton lectured on Ecclesiastical Polity and Canon Law. He also accepted a Chair at Boston University, lecturing on "Conflict of Laws." In the meantime Wharton continued to write and publish various treatises of legal studies. The "Conflict of Laws" was followed by the "Agency" and the "Law of Evidence." The twelve years he spent in Cambridge were crowned by a considerable body of work.
After twelve years of dedicated labor in Cambridge and Boston, Dr. Wharton's health began to worsen. He decided to spend a year in Europe, but this was of no great benefit to his health. After the return of the Democratic party to power in 1884, Hon. Thomas F. Bayard, Secretary of State asks Wharton to accept the position of Legal Adviser to the State Department, which he accepted temporarily. He was very well-fitted for his job, given his extensive knowledge and dilligence.
In February, 1889, after a rapid deterioration of his health, Dr. Wharton passed away. The funeral took place on the twenty-third of February, and was attended by a large number of his friends. He was buried in Rock Creek Cemetery, near the city of Washington.
Examining the History of the English Department
The English Department at Kenyon was founded in 1968, and interest in its history and development started with William R. Parker, Chairman of the English Department of Indiana University. In a letter dated April 16, 1968, Parker asks the Department Chair at Kenyon, Robert W. Daniel, about the identity of the first professor of English language and/or literature at Kenyon. Parker intended to write "a history of our profession." Daniel forwarded Parker's letter to Thomas B. Greensdale, College Archivist, in hopes that he would be able to help.
In his reply, Greensdale writes:
"Kenyon's first catalogue, published in 1831, lists John Kendrick, A.M. as Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy and Rhetoric. It appears that Rhetoric was the closest thing to English instruction that the College offered for many years. In those days there were no descriptions of the courses given; the textbook used was listed in the catalogue and presumably the course followed the text. Jamieson's Rhetoric appeared regularly. Along about 1835 the Course of Studies started to include Compositions and Original Declamations.
The catalogue for 1856-1857 lists as a faculty member Francis Wharton, A.M., Professor of English Literature. However, the published Course of Study did not list English Literature, but continued to show English Composition given during all four years. In the catalogue for 1859-1860 appears History of English Literature, with Lectures. From that time on courses in English were always included."
In a departmental correspondence letter dated March 5,1979, Greensdale remarks to English Professor Galbraith M. Crump that "there were no teachers of English mentioned until the year 1856." He goes on to add that the first listing was Francis Wharton, whose title changed in 1858 from "Professor of English Literature" to "Professor of English Literature and History." Greensdale also mentions that "Wharton resigned to take effect on July 1, 1863."
Greenslade's letter ends with the following:
"I am sure you know that Francis Wharton was the builder of Sunset Cottage, but you might not know - as I did not - that he was the first professor of English at Kenyon College. How appropriate it is that the Department of English is now occupying his house!"
Resources in the Kenyon College Archives
- Francis Wharton -- collected materials
