H. Morse Stephens

Henry Morse Stephens (October 3, 1857 – April 16, 1919) was an American historian and professor of history at the University of California, Berkeley who helped to purchase the Bancroft Library, and who worked to build archives of California history, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and World War I.

Early life

Henry Morse Stephens was born on October 3, 1857, in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was educated at Haileybury College, and attended Balliol College, Oxford University, where he was granted a B.A. in 1880 and an M.A. in 1892. He was a staff lecturer on the Oxford University Extension System from 1892 to 1894, and lecturer on Indian history at Cambridge, writing also for The Academy, The Daily Chronicle, The Speaker, and 'acting as London correspondent for The Statesman and the Calcutta Friend of India.'

Career

Stephens immigrated to the United States in 1894 and took the position of Professor at Cornell University in the Department of History, where he taught European History. At Cornell, Stephens took a particular interest in advising undergraduates, starting two traditions which endured at Cornell for the next two decades: Thursday nights for upper classmen, and career conferences and advice to seniors as to their future professional careers. He was also an avid fundraiser for Cornell's athletic teams. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1897 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1900.

In 1902, Stephens went to the University of California as professor of history and director of University Extension, a position he held from 1902 to 1909. He served as Dean of the University of California College of Arts and Sciences from the fall of 1918 until his death. During his time at Berkeley, he worked to build the Bancroft Library's collection of historical materials, with special success in the area of Spanish and Mexican History, now known as the Bolton Collection.