Canfield Hall
Named for: James Hulme Canfield (1847–1909)
The fourth president of the university, James Canfield was born in Delaware, Ohio. His family moved to New York where he grew to young manhood, the first of Ohio State’s presidents to be “city-bred.” Canfield graduated from Williams College at 21 and began to practice law in St. Joseph, Michigan. Largely through the influence of Dr. John Bascom, then president of the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Canfield turned to teaching. He became professor at the University of Kansas in 1877 and, because of his popularity as public speaker, Chancellor of the University of Nebraska in 1891. There he found abundant opportunity to use his talents as an organizer and leader. He brought many of his ideas and all of his vigor to The Ohio State University in 1894. The first important event in President Canfield’s administration was in 1895 when the Board of Trustees acted favorably upon a proposal to establish a lake laboratory in Sandusky, forerunner of the work at today’s Franz Theodore Stone laboratory.
There can be no doubt that President Canfield brought a new tempo of activity on the campus. He loosened the purse strings and made it easier to procure appropriations for matters related to the general comfort of the faculty and students, such as an elevator in University Hall, improved sanitation, and rest rooms. He introduced courses in domestic science, commerce, and administration, and he initiated improved methods in student registration.