Marion LeRoy Burton was born in Brooklyn, Iowa on 30 August 1874, the youngest child of Ira and Jane Simmons Burton. The family moved to Minneapolis when Burton was very young. A short time later, Ira Burton died after suffering financial reverses. Jane Burton worked extremely hard to support her family and her sons took jobs after school to ease the strain of their mother. Burton's early jobs included selling newspapers and raising pigeons.
Burton worked his way through Carleton College at Northfield, Minnesota, The day after his 1900 graduation, Burton married classmate Nina L. Moses (b. 7 Dec 1874, Faribault, Minnesota), and they went to Minnesota's Windom Institute to gain teaching experience.
Later, he went to Yale to study theology and there received his doctorate in philosophy. He graduated summa cum laude and then taught at Yale before accepting a position as a pastor of the historic Church of the Pilgrims in Brooklyn, New York in 1908. His ambition, however, was to be president of a college and when he was asked to be the head of Smith College, the largest woman's college in the world, he accepted. After seven years at Smith (1910-1917), he resigned to became president of the University of Minnesota (1917-1920).
In 1919, Dr. Burton accepted an offer to become President of the University of Michigan. Between July 1920 and his death in 1925, Dr. Burton served as President of the University of Michigan. In his commencement address of 1921, President Burton suggested the erection of a tower as a memorial to the 236 UM individuals lost in World War I, one that would be tall enough to be seen for miles and located approximately in the center of an enlarged campus as evidence of the idealism and loyalty of the alumni.
During his term as UM President , Dr. Burton's most visible achievements were new buildings. The construction of some 17 new buildings "Burton the Builder" oversaw included work on the University Hospital, an addition to the School of Dentistry, construction of a model high school (now the School of Education) and the East Engineering Building. Further, the William C. Clements Library opened and a separate School of Education was created.
In addition, during his presidency, Dr. Burton insisted on high academic performance and raised the requirement for admission of high school graduates. According to TIME magazine on January 21, 1924, Dr. Burton addressed the presidents and deans of some three hundred colleges and universities at the tenth annual meeting of the Association of American Colleges in Manhattan. It reported that Dr. Burton's address was "aggressive. He attacked American democracy, American materialism, American hatred of individuality as the causes of the decline of intellectual initiative and independence in the American college today. Said he:
"What has the college become? It has become a thing of rushing rabbles, jazz orchestras, pep meetings, frolics, hops and schedules fitted to make the second show at the movies. The rushing rabble is inevitably driven away from the spirit of higher learning and our object is lost. In every home the powerful man of business is the hero of the day.
"What we have done is snuffed out our inner life. Democracy is partly responsible. Youth has got the impression it must go with the crowd; it must be popular. It has become terribly afraid of being different. It has been tremendously externalized and objectified. .... Students must have a sense of integrity and the courage of their convictions. . . . When in American civilization it comes to pass that the family which raises a poet, a scientist, or a teacher will be as proud as if he were a financial genius, then you can put religion as a vital factor in American colleges."
Dr. Burton, a tall, red-haired man with a good sense of humor, was a man of extraordinary personality and his rapid advance was thought, at the time, to be without parallel in the academic world.
In 1924, President Burton nominated President Calvin Coolidge for president of the United States at the National Republican Convention. Coolidge, who had succeeded to the presidency on the death of Warren G. Harding, was elected in 1924.
President Burton suffered a heart attack on October 21, 1924 and he died four months later of complications of angina on February 18, 1925 at age 50. His body laid in state at the UM Alumni Memorial Hall as 18,000 viewers filed past. After the viewing, a death mask of Dr. Burton was taken by Fred M. Torrey, a Chicago sculptor.
While the memorial tower suggested by President Burton never came to fruition, the Burton Memorial Tower was designed by architect Albert Kahn and erected on the University of Michigan's central campus as a memorial to President Burton. While the depression of 1929 delayed the project, it was finally dedicated in 1936. The signature feature of the Burton Memorial Tower is the Charles Baird Carillon which consists of fifty-three bells. The largest bell, known as the Bourdon, weighs over 12 tons and has a pitch of E flat between low middle C, while the smallest bell is a G sharp four and one-half octaves above the Bourdon. This creates a wide range that allows the carilloneur to play multi-part harmonies.
Other memorials include Burton Hall at the University of Minnesota, and at least two schools: Marion L. Burton Elementary School in Huntington Woods, Michigan and Marion L. Burton School in Berkley, Michigan.
Marion L. and Nina Moses Burton's children included Theodosia Burton (wife of author and Berkley English Professor, George Rippey Stewart, Jr. (1895-1980)), b. 4 Aug 1901 in Minnesota, d. 11 Nov. 1989, California; Paul Leonard Burton, b. 1 Nov 1905, Brookfield, Connecticut, d. 24 Dec 1972, Sarasota, FL; and Jane Burton (b. 26 Feb 1912, Northampton, Massachusetts; d. 22 June 1998, San Mateo, CA).
Burton worked his way through Carleton College at Northfield, Minnesota, The day after his 1900 graduation, Burton married classmate Nina L. Moses (b. 7 Dec 1874, Faribault, Minnesota), and they went to Minnesota's Windom Institute to gain teaching experience.
Later, he went to Yale to study theology and there received his doctorate in philosophy. He graduated summa cum laude and then taught at Yale before accepting a position as a pastor of the historic Church of the Pilgrims in Brooklyn, New York in 1908. His ambition, however, was to be president of a college and when he was asked to be the head of Smith College, the largest woman's college in the world, he accepted. After seven years at Smith (1910-1917), he resigned to became president of the University of Minnesota (1917-1920).
In 1919, Dr. Burton accepted an offer to become President of the University of Michigan. Between July 1920 and his death in 1925, Dr. Burton served as President of the University of Michigan. In his commencement address of 1921, President Burton suggested the erection of a tower as a memorial to the 236 UM individuals lost in World War I, one that would be tall enough to be seen for miles and located approximately in the center of an enlarged campus as evidence of the idealism and loyalty of the alumni.
During his term as UM President , Dr. Burton's most visible achievements were new buildings. The construction of some 17 new buildings "Burton the Builder" oversaw included work on the University Hospital, an addition to the School of Dentistry, construction of a model high school (now the School of Education) and the East Engineering Building. Further, the William C. Clements Library opened and a separate School of Education was created.
In addition, during his presidency, Dr. Burton insisted on high academic performance and raised the requirement for admission of high school graduates. According to TIME magazine on January 21, 1924, Dr. Burton addressed the presidents and deans of some three hundred colleges and universities at the tenth annual meeting of the Association of American Colleges in Manhattan. It reported that Dr. Burton's address was "aggressive. He attacked American democracy, American materialism, American hatred of individuality as the causes of the decline of intellectual initiative and independence in the American college today. Said he:
"What has the college become? It has become a thing of rushing rabbles, jazz orchestras, pep meetings, frolics, hops and schedules fitted to make the second show at the movies. The rushing rabble is inevitably driven away from the spirit of higher learning and our object is lost. In every home the powerful man of business is the hero of the day.
"What we have done is snuffed out our inner life. Democracy is partly responsible. Youth has got the impression it must go with the crowd; it must be popular. It has become terribly afraid of being different. It has been tremendously externalized and objectified. .... Students must have a sense of integrity and the courage of their convictions. . . . When in American civilization it comes to pass that the family which raises a poet, a scientist, or a teacher will be as proud as if he were a financial genius, then you can put religion as a vital factor in American colleges."
Dr. Burton, a tall, red-haired man with a good sense of humor, was a man of extraordinary personality and his rapid advance was thought, at the time, to be without parallel in the academic world.
In 1924, President Burton nominated President Calvin Coolidge for president of the United States at the National Republican Convention. Coolidge, who had succeeded to the presidency on the death of Warren G. Harding, was elected in 1924.
President Burton suffered a heart attack on October 21, 1924 and he died four months later of complications of angina on February 18, 1925 at age 50. His body laid in state at the UM Alumni Memorial Hall as 18,000 viewers filed past. After the viewing, a death mask of Dr. Burton was taken by Fred M. Torrey, a Chicago sculptor.
While the memorial tower suggested by President Burton never came to fruition, the Burton Memorial Tower was designed by architect Albert Kahn and erected on the University of Michigan's central campus as a memorial to President Burton. While the depression of 1929 delayed the project, it was finally dedicated in 1936. The signature feature of the Burton Memorial Tower is the Charles Baird Carillon which consists of fifty-three bells. The largest bell, known as the Bourdon, weighs over 12 tons and has a pitch of E flat between low middle C, while the smallest bell is a G sharp four and one-half octaves above the Bourdon. This creates a wide range that allows the carilloneur to play multi-part harmonies.
Other memorials include Burton Hall at the University of Minnesota, and at least two schools: Marion L. Burton Elementary School in Huntington Woods, Michigan and Marion L. Burton School in Berkley, Michigan.
Marion L. and Nina Moses Burton's children included Theodosia Burton (wife of author and Berkley English Professor, George Rippey Stewart, Jr. (1895-1980)), b. 4 Aug 1901 in Minnesota, d. 11 Nov. 1989, California; Paul Leonard Burton, b. 1 Nov 1905, Brookfield, Connecticut, d. 24 Dec 1972, Sarasota, FL; and Jane Burton (b. 26 Feb 1912, Northampton, Massachusetts; d. 22 June 1998, San Mateo, CA).
Marion LeRoy Burton was born in Brooklyn, Iowa on 30 August 1874, the youngest child of Ira and Jane Simmons Burton. The family moved to Minneapolis when Burton was very young. A short time later, Ira Burton died after suffering financial reverses. Jane Burton worked extremely hard to support her family and her sons took jobs after school to ease the strain of their mother. Burton's early jobs included selling newspapers and raising pigeons.
Burton worked his way through Carleton College at Northfield, Minnesota, The day after his 1900 graduation, Burton married classmate Nina L. Moses (b. 7 Dec 1874, Faribault, Minnesota), and they went to Minnesota's Windom Institute to gain teaching experience.
Later, he went to Yale to study theology and there received his doctorate in philosophy. He graduated summa cum laude and then taught at Yale before accepting a position as a pastor of the historic Church of the Pilgrims in Brooklyn, New York in 1908. His ambition, however, was to be president of a college and when he was asked to be the head of Smith College, the largest woman's college in the world, he accepted. After seven years at Smith (1910-1917), he resigned to became president of the University of Minnesota (1917-1920).
In 1919, Dr. Burton accepted an offer to become President of the University of Michigan. Between July 1920 and his death in 1925, Dr. Burton served as President of the University of Michigan. In his commencement address of 1921, President Burton suggested the erection of a tower as a memorial to the 236 UM individuals lost in World War I, one that would be tall enough to be seen for miles and located approximately in the center of an enlarged campus as evidence of the idealism and loyalty of the alumni.
During his term as UM President , Dr. Burton's most visible achievements were new buildings. The construction of some 17 new buildings "Burton the Builder" oversaw included work on the University Hospital, an addition to the School of Dentistry, construction of a model high school (now the School of Education) and the East Engineering Building. Further, the William C. Clements Library opened and a separate School of Education was created.
In addition, during his presidency, Dr. Burton insisted on high academic performance and raised the requirement for admission of high school graduates. According to TIME magazine on January 21, 1924, Dr. Burton addressed the presidents and deans of some three hundred colleges and universities at the tenth annual meeting of the Association of American Colleges in Manhattan. It reported that Dr. Burton's address was "aggressive. He attacked American democracy, American materialism, American hatred of individuality as the causes of the decline of intellectual initiative and independence in the American college today. Said he:
"What has the college become? It has become a thing of rushing rabbles, jazz orchestras, pep meetings, frolics, hops and schedules fitted to make the second show at the movies. The rushing rabble is inevitably driven away from the spirit of higher learning and our object is lost. In every home the powerful man of business is the hero of the day.
"What we have done is snuffed out our inner life. Democracy is partly responsible. Youth has got the impression it must go with the crowd; it must be popular. It has become terribly afraid of being different. It has been tremendously externalized and objectified. .... Students must have a sense of integrity and the courage of their convictions. . . . When in American civilization it comes to pass that the family which raises a poet, a scientist, or a teacher will be as proud as if he were a financial genius, then you can put religion as a vital factor in American colleges."
Dr. Burton, a tall, red-haired man with a good sense of humor, was a man of extraordinary personality and his rapid advance was thought, at the time, to be without parallel in the academic world.
In 1924, President Burton nominated President Calvin Coolidge for president of the United States at the National Republican Convention. Coolidge, who had succeeded to the presidency on the death of Warren G. Harding, was elected in 1924.
President Burton suffered a heart attack on October 21, 1924 and he died four months later of complications of angina on February 18, 1925 at age 50. His body laid in state at the UM Alumni Memorial Hall as 18,000 viewers filed past. After the viewing, a death mask of Dr. Burton was taken by Fred M. Torrey, a Chicago sculptor.
While the memorial tower suggested by President Burton never came to fruition, the Burton Memorial Tower was designed by architect Albert Kahn and erected on the University of Michigan's central campus as a memorial to President Burton. While the depression of 1929 delayed the project, it was finally dedicated in 1936. The signature feature of the Burton Memorial Tower is the Charles Baird Carillon which consists of fifty-three bells. The largest bell, known as the Bourdon, weighs over 12 tons and has a pitch of E flat between low middle C, while the smallest bell is a G sharp four and one-half octaves above the Bourdon. This creates a wide range that allows the carilloneur to play multi-part harmonies.
Other memorials include Burton Hall at the University of Minnesota, and at least two schools: Marion L. Burton Elementary School in Huntington Woods, Michigan and Marion L. Burton School in Berkley, Michigan.
Marion L. and Nina Moses Burton's children included Theodosia Burton (wife of author and Berkley English Professor, George Rippey Stewart, Jr. (1895-1980)), b. 4 Aug 1901 in Minnesota, d. 11 Nov. 1989, California; Paul Leonard Burton, b. 1 Nov 1905, Brookfield, Connecticut, d. 24 Dec 1972, Sarasota, FL; and Jane Burton (b. 26 Feb 1912, Northampton, Massachusetts; d. 22 June 1998, San Mateo, CA).
Burton worked his way through Carleton College at Northfield, Minnesota, The day after his 1900 graduation, Burton married classmate Nina L. Moses (b. 7 Dec 1874, Faribault, Minnesota), and they went to Minnesota's Windom Institute to gain teaching experience.
Later, he went to Yale to study theology and there received his doctorate in philosophy. He graduated summa cum laude and then taught at Yale before accepting a position as a pastor of the historic Church of the Pilgrims in Brooklyn, New York in 1908. His ambition, however, was to be president of a college and when he was asked to be the head of Smith College, the largest woman's college in the world, he accepted. After seven years at Smith (1910-1917), he resigned to became president of the University of Minnesota (1917-1920).
In 1919, Dr. Burton accepted an offer to become President of the University of Michigan. Between July 1920 and his death in 1925, Dr. Burton served as President of the University of Michigan. In his commencement address of 1921, President Burton suggested the erection of a tower as a memorial to the 236 UM individuals lost in World War I, one that would be tall enough to be seen for miles and located approximately in the center of an enlarged campus as evidence of the idealism and loyalty of the alumni.
During his term as UM President , Dr. Burton's most visible achievements were new buildings. The construction of some 17 new buildings "Burton the Builder" oversaw included work on the University Hospital, an addition to the School of Dentistry, construction of a model high school (now the School of Education) and the East Engineering Building. Further, the William C. Clements Library opened and a separate School of Education was created.
In addition, during his presidency, Dr. Burton insisted on high academic performance and raised the requirement for admission of high school graduates. According to TIME magazine on January 21, 1924, Dr. Burton addressed the presidents and deans of some three hundred colleges and universities at the tenth annual meeting of the Association of American Colleges in Manhattan. It reported that Dr. Burton's address was "aggressive. He attacked American democracy, American materialism, American hatred of individuality as the causes of the decline of intellectual initiative and independence in the American college today. Said he:
"What has the college become? It has become a thing of rushing rabbles, jazz orchestras, pep meetings, frolics, hops and schedules fitted to make the second show at the movies. The rushing rabble is inevitably driven away from the spirit of higher learning and our object is lost. In every home the powerful man of business is the hero of the day.
"What we have done is snuffed out our inner life. Democracy is partly responsible. Youth has got the impression it must go with the crowd; it must be popular. It has become terribly afraid of being different. It has been tremendously externalized and objectified. .... Students must have a sense of integrity and the courage of their convictions. . . . When in American civilization it comes to pass that the family which raises a poet, a scientist, or a teacher will be as proud as if he were a financial genius, then you can put religion as a vital factor in American colleges."
Dr. Burton, a tall, red-haired man with a good sense of humor, was a man of extraordinary personality and his rapid advance was thought, at the time, to be without parallel in the academic world.
In 1924, President Burton nominated President Calvin Coolidge for president of the United States at the National Republican Convention. Coolidge, who had succeeded to the presidency on the death of Warren G. Harding, was elected in 1924.
President Burton suffered a heart attack on October 21, 1924 and he died four months later of complications of angina on February 18, 1925 at age 50. His body laid in state at the UM Alumni Memorial Hall as 18,000 viewers filed past. After the viewing, a death mask of Dr. Burton was taken by Fred M. Torrey, a Chicago sculptor.
While the memorial tower suggested by President Burton never came to fruition, the Burton Memorial Tower was designed by architect Albert Kahn and erected on the University of Michigan's central campus as a memorial to President Burton. While the depression of 1929 delayed the project, it was finally dedicated in 1936. The signature feature of the Burton Memorial Tower is the Charles Baird Carillon which consists of fifty-three bells. The largest bell, known as the Bourdon, weighs over 12 tons and has a pitch of E flat between low middle C, while the smallest bell is a G sharp four and one-half octaves above the Bourdon. This creates a wide range that allows the carilloneur to play multi-part harmonies.
Other memorials include Burton Hall at the University of Minnesota, and at least two schools: Marion L. Burton Elementary School in Huntington Woods, Michigan and Marion L. Burton School in Berkley, Michigan.
Marion L. and Nina Moses Burton's children included Theodosia Burton (wife of author and Berkley English Professor, George Rippey Stewart, Jr. (1895-1980)), b. 4 Aug 1901 in Minnesota, d. 11 Nov. 1989, California; Paul Leonard Burton, b. 1 Nov 1905, Brookfield, Connecticut, d. 24 Dec 1972, Sarasota, FL; and Jane Burton (b. 26 Feb 1912, Northampton, Massachusetts; d. 22 June 1998, San Mateo, CA).
