Profile Major Works Resources

John Bascom, 1827-1911.

American educator at Wisconsin and Williams.

Originating from Genoa, in rural upstate New York, John Bascom descended from a line of Congregationalist ministers that stretched back to the earliest Massachusetts Pilgrims.  His father died when he was still an infant, and John and his three older sisters were raised with pious devoutness by their mother.  Bascom obtained his first formal schooling at the relatively late age of seventeen, at Homer Academy, before proceeding to enroll at Williams College, graduating in 1849.

Bascom was expected by his family to follow a clerical career, like his father and grandfather. Nonetheless, Bascom decided to try some other avenues first - first spending a year as a schoolteacher, then studying law in Rochester - before finally enrolling in a theological seminary in Auburn.  From 1852, Bascom was a tutor at William College.  After finishing his theological degree at Andover in 1855, Bascom was hired as a full-time professor of rhetoric (English) at Williams College, where he would remain for the next two decades.  Bascom's friend and colleague Arthur L. Perry, was in charge of political economy at Williams.  Nonetheless, Bascom published a textbook on economics in 1859.

In 1874, John Bascom became president of the University of Wisconsin, a position he held until 1887.  As per man college presidents of the time, Bascom was un charge of the final-year lectures on economics for Wisconsin students.  Although Bascom started off as a traditional apologist, Bascom gradually embraced Christian Socialism and Progressivism.

After being driven out of Wisconsin in 1887, Bascom returned to Williams College, where he lectured on sociology.  In 1891, upon Perry's retirement, Bascom took charge of the political economy at Williams. Bascom finally retired himself in 1903.

 

  

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Major Works of John Bascom

  • An Appeal to Young Men on the Use of Tobacco, 1850
  • Political Economy, designed as a text-book for colleges, 1859 [bk, av]. [1874 repr]
  • "The Laws of Political Economy, in their Moral Relations", 1862, New Englander, (Oct) p.649
  • Aesthetics: the science of beauty, 1862 [bk] [1870 repr, av][1872 ed] [1890 ed, av]
  • Philosophy of Rhetoric, 1866 [bk, av], [1872 ed, av], [1882 ed, av]
  • Principles of Psychology, 1869 [bk] [1872 repr, av], [1875 repr, av]
  • "Evolution as Advocated by Herbert Spencer", 1872, PQ & Princeton Rev (Jul), p.496
  • Science, Philosophy and Religion: Lowell lectures, 1871 [bk, av], [1872 repr, av]
  • The Threefold Kingdom: an address before the Mills Theological Society of Williams College, June 23, 1872. 1872 [bk]
  • Philosophy of English Literature: Lowell lectures, 1874 [bk, av] [1893 repr, av]
  • A Philosophy of Religion, or the rational grounds of religious belief, 1876 [bk, av]
  • Education and the State: Baccalaureate sermon, 1877 [moa] [hth]
  • The Common School: Baccalaureate sermon, 1878 [bk]
  • Comparative Psychology, or the growth and grades of intelligence, 1878 [bk, av]
  • Ethics, or the Science of Duty, 1879 [bk, av]
  • Natural Theology, 1880 [bk, av]
  • Tests of a School System: Baccalaureate sermon, 1880 [bk]
  • The Science of Mind, 1881 [bk, av] [1886 repr]
  • "Atheism in Colleges", 1881, NAR, p.32 [av]
  • The Lawyer and the Lawyer's Questions, 1882
  • The Natural and the Supernatural: Baccalaureate sermon, 1883 [bk, av]
  • The Words of Christ as principles of personal and social growth, 1884 [bk, av]
  • Hero-Worship: Baccalaureate sermon, 1885 [bk]
  • Problems in Philosophy, 1885 [bk, av]
  • Common Sense and Spiritual Insight: Baccalaureate sermon, 1886 [bk]
  • Sociology, 1887 [bk, av]
  • Prohibition and Common Sense, 1888 [bk]
  • The New Theology, 1891 [bk, av]
  • Address before the YMCA of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, 1892
  • An Historical Interpretation of Philosophy, 1893 [bk, av]
  • Social Theory: A grouping of social facts and theory, 1895 [bk, av]
  • "A Standard of Values", 1895, QJE, [av]
  • Evolution and Religion, or faith as part of a complete cosmic system, 1897 [bk, av]
  • The Growth of Nationality in the United States: A social study, 1899 [bk, av]
  • "Competition, actual and theoretical", 1900, QJE, [av]
  • The Goodness of God, 1901 [bk, av]
  • The Remedies of Trusts: they lie close at hand: the steps that led to trusts must be first retraced, as a preparation for further remedies, 1901 [av]
  • "The Right to Labor", 1904, QJE [av]
  • "An Open versus a Closed Shop", 1905, NAR (June), p.912 [av]
  • "The Three Amendments", 1906, AAPSS [av]
  • The College Tax Exemption, 1907
  • "Laurens Perseus Hickock", 1908, Amer J of Psychology [av]
  • Things Learned By Living, 1913 [bk, av]
  • Sermons and Addresses, 1913 [bk, av]

 
HET

 
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Resources on  John Bascom

  • "Bascom's Sociology", 1887, Science, (Apr 28) p.423
  • "Bascom, John" in 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica.
  • Memorial service in honor of John Bascom at University of Wisconsin, 1911 [hth]
  • John Bascom: Prophet, by Sanford Robinson, 1922 [bk]
  • "The Life and Times of John Bascom" by William Kostlevy, 2013, Christian History [online]
  • Bascom profile at UW libraries
  • John Bascom and the Origins of the Wisconsin Idea by J. David Hoeveler, 2016
  • Bascom entry at UPenn online books
  • Wiki

 

 
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