President John Lathrop And The Lost Lathrop Hall
John Hiram Lathrop sometime between 1841-1849
On January 22, 1799, John Hiram Lathrop was born in Sherburne, New York. He arrived in Columbia in 1841 to take a job as the first President of the University of Missouri. Lathrop would be hugely influential in the university’s development and in Columbia more generally. He was educated at Hamilton College and then Yale University . As a young man he taught at schools and colleges in New England and, when offered the job in Missouri, was a professor of law, civil polity, and political economy at Hamilton College. When he arrived at the University of Missouri he found an institution that was not yet functioning. The Board of Curators asked him to make an address at Union Church with very little preparation; it was well-received by the people of Columbia. Unlike most of the Mid-Missouri power players of the era, he was not a Kentuckian or a slave owner, he was a New Englander.
To keep the local academic momentum developed in the 1830s Lathrop decided to continue the classes of Columbia College (see prior entry) and refer to it as the Preparatory Department of the University. On March 10, 1841, he issued an announcement of the first classes to be held at the University of Missouri as a joint undertaking between Columbia College and the fledgling university. The cornerstone for the new main building, Academic Hall, was laid in 1840, and in 1841 work began to construct a house for the President next door. With classes underway Lathrop returned to New York to purchase laboratory equipment, find books for the new library, hire a chemistry professor, and bring his family to Columbia. Lathrop continued to grow and develop the university until 1843 when the Missouri State Legislature and the Board of Curators became politicized over the issue of slavery. Lathrop resigned and in 1849 became the first chancellor of the newly established University of Wisconsin. He later took the top position at Indiana University.
Lathrop, however, was not done with Columbia. He returned in 1860 to become a professor of law. In his absence, the university had experienced highly politicized leadership, including a controversial President, James Shannon, an Irish-American preacher and outspoken pro-slavery advocate. During the American Civil War the university was under intense stress, not only was there the occupation by federal troops (see prior entry) and political in-fighting, but classes were suspended for a time. In 1865, just after the Civil War ended, Lathrop was asked to return to the Presidency, and under his leadership the university reopened. As of 2023, Lathrop is the only person to have served twice in this position, and did so at two pivotal times in university history. Lathrop’s second term would be short, he died in 1866 in office, and is buried in Columbia Cemetery. When the memorial gateway to the university was constructed at 8th and Elm, images of two men were placed upon it: James Rollins, father of the University of Missouri, and John Lathrop, its first President.
The Memorial Gateway To The University On The Avenue of the Columns, East Plaque
Taken by Matt Fetterly on January 21, 2023
John Lathrop’s tombstone in Columbia Cemetery: “I have tried to do my duty”
Lathrop Hall was constructed around 1898 as a men’s dormitory. It was named in honor of John Lathrop, it was also known as dormitory #2, and is likely the second constructed on campus. It was located on 6th street, in 2023 this location is near the grassy lawn north of Townsend Hall and about same location as the west part of the Engineering Building. The building also had a large dining room and hosted the University Dining Club for many years. In 1924 Lathrop Hall became the home of the Department of Music, a fitting move as Lathrop was the first to recommend hiring an instructor of music. Writing to the Board of Curators in his second term, during the 1860s, he said he wished to secure “the personal benefit of musical culture accruing to the students,” he also wanted to avoid the expense of hiring a band to play commencement. Lathrop Hall, an impressive and imposing Victorian edifice, was demolished in 1961. A later dormitory would also be named Lathrop Hall, and is now also demolished. In 2023, no building on campus bears Lathrop’s name.
Lathrop Hall circa 1905
Concerned by the loss of historic buildings and their replacement with lawns, our group, CoMo Preservation, hopes to help homeowners, landlords, and institutions prevent the destruction of historic architecture. Original period styles might be replicated, but will forever lack the social history of authentic structures. The preservation of historic buildings is necessary for Columbia’s residents, students, and visitors to achieve a sense of place and, it follows, for our city’s continued economic success. If you want to join us in our mission sign up for our mailing list to receive news and updates.
Sources
Switzler, William F. (1882). History of Boone County. St. Louis, Missouri: Western Historical Company. OCLC 2881554.
John Hiram Lathrop (Chancellor: 1849-1858). Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Archives and Records Management. Accessed January 22, 2023.
Stephens, Frank Fletcher (1962). A History of the University of Missouri. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press. ISBN 9781258386566.
Budds, Michael (2018). 100 Years of Music-Making at Mizzou. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri School of Music. ISBN 9780692987322.
Sprits of Mizzou: John Hiram Lathrop. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Archives. Accessed January 22, 2023.
MU in Brick and Mortar: Lathrop Hall Main Page. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Archives. Accessed January 22, 2023.
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