William H. McMaster (1875-1962)
Class of 2026 – Educator
Known affectionately as “Prexy,” William Henry McMaster served as the fourth president of Mount Union College from 1908 to 1938.
Born on September 17, 1875, in Centerville in Belmont County, Ohio, he was the second of three children to Dr. James N. and Susan (Neff) McMaster.
In 1899, he graduated from Mount Union with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. In 1902, he earned a bachelor of divinity degree at Drew Theological Seminary, and a year later, he earned a master’s degree at New York University. While serving as president, he earned his doctorate of divinity from Ohio Wesleyan in 1911.
Throughout his career, he was conferred with honorary doctor of laws degrees from the University of Pittsburgh (1926), Allegheny College (1938) and Mount Union (1946).
On May 8, 1907 he married Isabella Thoburn Mills. The couple had three children, all graduates of Mount Union, including Isabella Thoburn Thompson (1929), William H. McMaster Jr. (1932), and Janet Lyle Oman (1935).
A minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church when he was called back to Mount Union in 1908 to succeed Dr. Albert Birdsall Riker as president of his alma mater, McMaster became the first alumnus of the institution to serve in that capacity. At the age of 33, he was also the youngest college president in the country at the time.
McMaster’s tenure at Mount Union was a period of important formulative years in which the college experienced significant growth, including the transformation from a composite college to strictly a liberal arts institution. During that period, Mount Union was officially recognized by several accrediting agencies.
In 1911, he oversaw the merger between Mount Union and Scio College.
During his tenure, the endowment fund grew from $114,000 in 1909 to more than $1,500,000 by 1934. Meanwhile, student enrollment increased from 127 to 520 despite the fact that the Great Depression had been damaging to most colleges.
McMaster was credited with building a strong faculty of longstanding and beloved professors and developing Mount Union’s physical plant with the addition of Lamborn Science Hall, Elliott Residence Hall, Clarke Observatory, Hartshorn Stadium (today the oldest stadium in Ohio), and Memorial Hall (razed).
The library facilities at Mount Union grew more than fourfold as books increased from 11,000 volumes to more than 45,000 during his tenure. Meanwhile, the value of scientific equipment went from $15,000 to $75,000.
He also prompted establishment of many alumni organizations throughout the country and prompted the formation of the Mount Union Women’s Association, later becoming the College Women’s Club.
Following his retirement from Mount Union, he taught religious education at the University of Miami for 12 years, retiring in 1960 with the rank of professor emeritus.
In December 1956, Mount Union honored McMaster with the dedication of McMaster Residence Hall for Women, The University also honored Dr. McMaster with the dedication of a chapel inside the student union in his name.
He died on November 14, 1962 in Miami, Florida, at the age of 87.