Charles K. (Charles Keyser) Edmunds

Born in Baltimore in 1876, Charles Keyser Edmunds studied at Johns Hopkins University, earning both his A.B. and a Ph.D. in physics. Trained as a scientist and engineer, he built a career that combined technical work with teaching and university administration.

Edmunds became especially notable for his educational leadership in China, serving as president of Lingnan University in Canton. His years there linked him to a period when American and Chinese institutions were building strong academic ties, and his background in physics and electrical engineering helped shape his reputation as a practical-minded scholar.

In 1928 he became the fifth president of Pomona College in Claremont, California. During his presidency, Pomona expanded important parts of campus life and construction, and his influence remained visible afterward in buildings named for him. He died in 1949, remembered less as a literary figure than as a scientist-educator who helped guide colleges through a time of change.