Edwin Erle Sparks

Born in Newark, Ohio, in 1860, Edwin Erle Sparks worked his way through Ohio State University and began his career in education as a teacher and school principal. He later joined Penn State, where he served in several academic roles before becoming the university's eighth president in 1908.

Sparks was also a historian with a strong interest in making American history accessible to general readers. He taught history at the University of Chicago and wrote books on the United States, national expansion, and major figures and events in American public life.

As president of Penn State, he led the institution from 1908 to 1920 and became known for widening its public reach and strengthening its standing. He died in State College, Pennsylvania, in 1924, and his name remains tied to Penn State through the Edwin Erle Sparks Professorship in Philosophy.