Claude B. Hutchison
Claude Burton Hutchison (April 9, 1885 – August 25, 1980) was an American botanist, agricultural economist, educator, and politician who served as the mayor of Berkeley, California, from 1955 to 1963.
Claude B. Hutchison | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Claude Burton Hutchison April 9, 1885 Chillicothe, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | August 25, 1980 (aged 95) |
| Children | 5 |
| Academic background | |
| Education | University of Missouri (BS) Cornell University (MS) Harvard University (MS) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Botany · agricultural science · education |
| Sub-discipline | Plant breeding Agricultural economics Academic administration |
| Institutions | University of Missouri Cornell University University of California |
| Mayor of Berkeley | |
| In office 1955–1963 | |
| Preceded by | Laurance L. Cross |
| Succeeded by | Wallace J. S. Johnson |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Republican |
Early life and education
Hutchison was born on April 9, 1885, in Livingston County near Chillicothe, Missouri, the son of farmer William Moses Hutchison and his wife Ada Smith. Hutchison earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Missouri, where he was also a founding member of FarmHouse fraternity. He earned a Master of Science from Cornell University and another from Harvard University.[1]
Career
Hutchison held teaching positions at the University of Missouri and Cornell University. At Cornell he taught genetics to Barbara McClintock. Hutchison left Cornell for the University of California, Davis. where he was professor of agriculture from 1922 to 1952; dean of the College of Agriculture from 1922 to 1925; and vice president of the University of California from 1945 to 1952.[2] When he left UC Davis, he served as dean of agriculture at the University of Nevada, Reno until his retirement in 1954. From 1955 to 1963, he served as mayor of Berkeley, California.
In the 1920s, Hutchison went to Europe, serving as director of agricultural education for the International Education Board in Paris. In the 1930s, he was a director of the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics.[3]
Hutchison Hall on the campus of the University of California, Davis is named for him. He was also a member of Alpha Phi Omega, Iota Phi chapter[4]
Personal life
Hutchison married Roxie Pritchard in 1908 and had five children. Hutchison died August 25, 1980, at the age of 95.
His son, Claude B. Hutchison Jr., a banker and retired United States Navy captain, ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in the 1980s, losing to Ron Dellums. In November 2006, he was an appointee of the Bush Administration serving in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
References
- Kendrick, J.B. (October 1980). "A Tribute to Claude B. Hutchison, 1885-1980". California Agriculture.
- The Cornell Alumni News. 1922. p. 332.
- "Hutchison, Claude B. (1885-1980). Papers. – UC Davis Library". Retrieved 2023-04-12.
- "About Iota Phi chapter". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2011-04-27.
External links
- Claude B. Hutchison Papers at Special Collections Dept., University Library, University of California, Davis
- Photos of Claude Hutchison, from the UCD Library Special Collections
- Giannini Hall 75th Anniversary
- President to Appoint Claude B. Hutchison, Jr.