Archives West Finding Aid

Joseph F. Merrill (1868-1952) was born in Cache County, Utah. He graduated with a normal certificate from the University of Deseret (now the University of Utah) in 1889, which would be the equivilent of a high school diploma today. He went on to get his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Michigan in 1893. He began his teaching career at the University of Utah the same year as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. Soon after he became a physics professor and separated physics into its own department. He also was instrumental in introducing electrical engineering to the university. In the meantime, he finished master's work at Cornell and the University of Chicago before getting his Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University in 1899. He became the first native Utahn to get a Ph.D. In 1897, he became the principal of the Mining School at the University of Utah. In 1916, the department was renamed and Merrill became the Director of the School of Mines and Engineering. In 1928, he resigned from the University of Utah to become the superintendent of LDS Church Education. During his time in Church Education, he managed the transfer of Weber, Snow, and Dixie Colleges to Utah state control. He also managed to keep Ricks College in Idaho and Brigham Young University (BYU) under LDS Church control. In 1931, he became an apostle in the LDS Church and supervised the European Mission as president between 1933 and 1936. Merrill continued service to his church until his death in Salt Lake City in 1952. In 1960, when the first phase of the University of Utah's new Engineering Building was completed, the building was named in Dr. Joseph F. Merrill's honor.