Clyde Furst

Born in 1873, Clyde Bowman Furst was an American educator, essayist, and literary-minded clubman whose career linked higher education, public service, and writing. Sources consistently connect him with Teachers College, Columbia University, where he served as secretary and also taught literature, before later working with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

He is best known today as the author of The Observations of Professor Maturin, a reflective work that has remained available through projects like Project Gutenberg and LibriVox. Archival material from the Century Association also suggests how he was regarded by his contemporaries: as a thoughtful, quiet presence in conversation, valued as much for wit and anecdote as for strong opinions.

Furst died in 1931. While he is not a widely known name now, the record that remains shows a figure at home in both the world of books and the institutions that shaped American education.