author
Jacob Gould Schurman
1854–1942
A farm-born scholar from Prince Edward Island who rose to lead Cornell University and later serve as a U.S. ambassador, he moved easily between academic life and public service. His career joined philosophy, education, and diplomacy at a time of major international change.
2 Audiobooks
The Balkan Wars: 1912-1913 Third Edition
by Jacob Gould Schurman
The Balkan Wars: 1912-1913 Second Edition
by Jacob Gould Schurman
About the author
Born in Freetown, Prince Edward Island, in 1854, Jacob Gould Schurman became a Canadian-American educator, philosopher, and diplomat. He studied in Canada and Europe, taught before joining Cornell University in 1886, and soon emerged as one of the institution’s central leaders.
In 1892 he became Cornell’s third president, a role he held for nearly three decades. During those years he helped shape the university’s growth and public reputation, while also taking part in national service, including work connected to the Philippine commission after the Spanish-American War.
Later in life, Schurman moved into diplomacy, serving as U.S. minister to Greece and Montenegro and then as ambassador to China and Germany. He died in 1942, remembered for a career that linked higher education with international affairs.