Wilson Martindale Compton was born in Wooster, Ohio and attended the College of Wooster and earned a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University as well as a law degree. In 1916, he married Helen Harrington, and later had four children together. Compton became President of the State College of Washington in 1945, and remained in that position until 1951. His presidency saw creation of the College Senate, a first Faculty Manual, and establishment by the faculty of general education requirements in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences for all students, as well as honors at graduation. In April of 1951, in the midst of difficult financial times due to state budget cuts, the Board of Regents ended the Compton presidency. After he left WSU, Compton was Director of the International Information Administration (IIA), the forerunner of the United States Information Agency (USIA), within the Department of State. He died in 1967.
This collection consists of a single item, “The Compton Years, The State College of Washington, November 1944-September 1951,” a manuscript written by Claude Simpson.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions apply.
[Item Description]
Claude Simpson Manuscript, “The Compton Years, The State College Of Washington, November 1944-September 1951", 1986 (Cage 5058)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
This item was donated to Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections by Claude Simpson in January, 1989.
This collection was processed by Cheryl Gunselman.
Wilson Compton Day Books and Papers, 1928-1997
Compton Family Dramatization Cassette Recording, 1947
State College of Washington Office of the President: Wilson Compton and Charles Clement French Records, 1948-1956
State College of Washington Office of the President: Wilson M. Compton Records, 1944-1952
Washington State University Office of the President Media, 1937-2006
State College of Washington Office of the President: Letters from Prominent Correspondents, 1897-1951
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.