Julius Hawley Seelye

Julius Hawley Seelye (September 14, 1824 – May 12, 1895) was an American educator, Congregational clergyman, and politician. He taught mental and moral philosophy at Amherst College from 1858, represented Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives from 1875 to 1877, and served as the fifth president of Amherst College from 1877 to 1890.

As president he established a system of student self-government known as the Amherst System, and oversaw the college's 1881 adoption of the Latin honors grades cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude, an arrangement later taken up by many other universities.

Biography Seelye was born September 14, 1824, in Bethel, Connecticut, to Seth and Abigail (Taylor) Seelye.

He prepared himself for college, then attended Amherst College from 1846 to 1849, when he graduated. While he was at Amherst, he joined the Psi Upsilon fraternity. After graduating, he continued his studies at Auburn Theological Seminary from 1849 to 1852, and at Halle, Prussia, from 1852 to 1853.

Seelye was ordained in Schenectady, New York, on August 10, 1853. From 1853 to 1858, he was the pastor of the First Dutch Reformed Church in Schenectady.

In 1858 he returned to Amherst College as professor of mental and moral philosophy. He was appointed the fifth president of the college in 1877 and held both posts until his retirement in 1890. In 1881 Amherst adopted the Latin honors grades cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude, an arrangement later taken up by many other universities.

One of his students was Joseph Hardy Neesima, who graduated from Amherst in 1870 and later founded Doshisha University in Kyoto.

In 1872–1873, Seelye made a tour around the world. While on this journey he stopped in Bombay, India, and delivered a course of lectures entitled The Way, The Truth, and the Life, to educated Hindus. He was invited to stay and work with the Christian Mission society in India, but decided to return to Amherst.

He was pastor of the Amherst College Church from 1877 to 1892. Seelye was also a trustee of Mount Holyoke College from 1872 to 1895.

Seelye was elected as an Independent to the Forty-fourth Congress, serving from 1875 to 1877.

Other activities Seelye lectured at Andover Theological Seminary from 1873 to 1874. He was then a member of the Board of Visitors there from 1874 to 1892.

Seelye is the brother of Laurenus Clark Seelye, first president of Smith College. He is the grandfather of J. Seelye Bixler, 16th president of Colby College, and of Elizabeth Seelye Bixler, third dean of the Yale School of Nursing. He is the great-grandfather of Former United States Ambassador Talcott Seelye and is the great-great-grandfather of National Public Radio reporter Kate Seelye.

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