By Evans McGowan

Dr. John L. Kirkpatrick, Davidson College President 1861-1866 (Shaw 98-9).

      In the tumultuous times prior to the Civil War, Dr. John Lycan Kirkpatrick assumed the presidency of Davidson College early in the year 1861.  Undoubtedly “a pivotal point in the history of Davidson College” (Blake 131), the neophyte president had many financial resources available when he arrived.  Maxwell Chambers had previously donated nearly a quarter-million dollars to the college, and in his address to the college President Kirkpatrick noted the need for more instructors, expansion of the library, and improvement of the college grounds (Shaw 119-21).  Evidently, the Presbyterian minister cared deeply about the school.

      The Davidson students readily accepted their newfound president and his deep compassion for the school.  Described one student: “He was a most earnest and forceful preacher, tall, erect, fluent, with a strong melodious voice.  He compelled interested attention” (Shaw 99).  Another student, James Malloy, wrote, “I think the trustees made a good selection in Dr. Kirkpatrick; for besides his intellectual abilities, he seems to have a great tact for governing boys” (Malloy).  Even so, one young man remarked, “He was too lenient to make a good president” (Shaw 99).  Not only did President Kirkpatrick have the resources to provide monumental change to Davidson, but he also had a good rapport with college personnel.

      Despite his exquisite charisma and the monetary funds to substantiate his ambitious plans, President Kirkpatrick was unable to realize many of his dreams.  Most significantly, the Civil War erupted towards the end of the school year in 1861.  Not much war activity had been recorded up until this point, save a succession flag flying atop Chambers emblazoning Southern pride (Davidson 2).  As a result of the Confederate Army's order in July of 1864 to tear up the railroad for desperately needed iron, many students left the college while they still could (Davidson 3).  No longer would the president be able to aspire the college to glorious new heights.  Instead, he would be reduced to maintaining the school on dire sustenance.

      President Kirkpatrick did many things to ensure the college would maintain enrollment and its status as a prestigious Southern college.  For example, he increased the salaries of the professors from $1,200 to $1,500 a year (Shaw 99).  He also established a prep department in the fall of 1862 (Davidson 2).  (For more on the preparatory program, click here.)  While discipline was a problem due to younger students and the lack of a Junior or Senior class (Davidson 2), the addition to the school was vital to its remaining open during the war.  President Kirkpatrick's decision to adapt the college program to youth too young to fight allowed more students to enroll at the college, thus providing a steady if paltry enrollment.

      Funds, another important factor in his presidency and once abundant prior to 1860, quickly depleted during and after the war.  In 1864, the Treasure’s report showed that $256,445 was invested in the college.  This amount was reduced to $170,00 in 1867, later dwindling to a measly $85,500 in 1869 (Shaw 118-9).  President Kirkpatrick comments on these losses in 1866, writing to a friend, “Our funds, which were large, have suffered [unreadable] losses, but we shall save enough out of the wreck to sustain the College on a footing of respectability and usefulness” (Kirkpatrick).  The reasons for this reduction were many: decreased enrollment, expanding facilities, and investment in confederate funds.  Confederate funds were the primary reason for the substantial decrease in the endowment, for the post-war Reconstruction Era left the Confederate South devastated with worthless money.

      Through all the strife and decadence, President Kirkpatrick feigned disaster and succeed in keeping the college open during the war.  Although he did not succeed in his initial goals of improving the college grounds and renovating the library, he excelled in the inconceivable: Davidson College not only survived the war as one of two colleges to remain open in the Southeast (Smith), but it also continued to flourish and maintain its extraordinary level of quality for years to come.  Had the president succumbed to the woes of the times and compromised his values, Davidson college would have been severely set back in its stride for excellence.