George Wilcox Peavy
Acting President, 1932-1934
President, 1934-1940
President George W. Peavy, ca.
1935.
[OSU Archives
P1:60]
George Peavy, Dean of Forestry, was appointed Acting President of
Oregon State College in 1932 when President Kerr was chosen as the
first Chancellor of the Oregon State System of Higher Education.
In January 1934 he was designated President of the College and also
continued as Dean of Forestry, positions he held until his
retirement in 1940.
Peavy was the first OSC faculty member to also serve as president
of the institution. He lead the institution through the infancy of
the Oregon State System of Higher Education, a period of
administrative restructuring and limited economic resources. The
first Ph.D. degrees were awarded by the College during this
time.
Born in 1869 in Howell, Michigan, Peavy received his Bachelor's
degree from the University of Michigan. After teaching history and
economics and serving as a high school principal, he became
interested in forestry and re-entered the University of Michigan
earning a Master of Science degree in Forestry in 1905.
In 1910 Peavy was selected to head of the newly created Department
of Forestry at Oregon Agricultural College and subsequently served
as the first Dean of the School of Forestry from 1913 until his
retirement in 1940.
After his retirement, Peavy was elected Mayor of Corvallis in 1947,
a position he held until his death in 1951.
George W. Peavy, ca. early 1890s. This
cabinet card portrait by Randall of Ann Arbor, Michigan was
probably taken while Peavy was an undergraduate student at the
University of Michigan. Peavy earned a B.S in Science in 1895 and
a M.S.F. in 1905 as a member of the second forestry class at the
University of Michigan. [OSU Archives
P1:103]
Peavy Cabin, 1944. This cabin in MacDonald
Forest outside of Corvallis was built by "his boys" in 1935 and was
Peavy's retreat both during his years as President and his
retirement. [OSU Archives #384]
President Peavy accepts flag from Junior Class,
1940. Peavy accepts the gift of a flag from the the Junior
Class at the Junior Weekend Convocation in May 1940. Frank Chown,
Chairman of the Weekend Committee, presented the flag. [OSU
Archives #384]
Corvallis Mayor George Peavy, 1947. Peavy and
John Fenner, Alumni Manager, inspect a map showing the wide scope
of KOAC's radio network broadcast during the NCAA playoffs in
Kansas City in March 1947. Peavy served as Corvallis Mayor from
1947 until his death in 1951. [OSU Archives
#384]
"Grower of trees and men ... educator and
executive.", ca. 1955. This painting of Peavy with a group of
students, made posthumously by the Weyerhauser Timber Company, was
used extensively in advertisements in trade journals and the
popular press including The Saturday Evening Post. [OSU
Archives P1:62]
Where to Find More Information about George Peavy
George W. Peavy: Friend of
Man, Forester of the West, 1869-1951(an on-line
exhibit)
President's
Office Records (RG 13)
College of Forestry
Records (RG 139)
George W. Peavy
Papers
Memorabilia Collection - Peavy, George Wilcox
OSU Chronological History for the
1930s ...
1940s
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