Frank Palmer Speare

Frank Palmer Speare (1869 – May 28, 1954) was the first president of Northeastern University, serving from 1898 to 1940. He began the evening program at the Boston YMCA that later became Northeastern. As founding president, he oversaw the launching of the university's evening law school, the now-defunct automobile school, the evening polytechnic schools, the school of commerce and finance, and the co-operative engineering school.

Frank Palmer Speare
Speare pictured in The Cauldron 1921, Northeastern yearbook
1st President of Northeastern University
In office 1898–1940
Preceded by	None
Succeeded by	Carl Stephens Ell
Personal details
Born	March 31, 1869 Dorchester, Massachusetts[1]
Died	May 28, 1954 (aged 84–85)[1]
Spouse(s)	May Cushing Whiting,[1] Katherine Vinton
Children	Marjory Vinton Speare
Parents	Charles Speare, Jeanette Palmer
Alma mater	Bridgewater State Teachers College, 1889[1]

In addition to being an educator, he was also a sailor, farmer, and music enthusiast. He composed songs ("Silver Bay, a Song of Vacation Days") and other music (the "Northeastern March"), plays (Mystic Waters, or The Spirit of Winnipesaukee), and musicals.

Notes

1. Ohles, Frederik (1997), Biographical Dictionary of Modern American Educators, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, p. 300

External links

• Frank Palmer Speare: Educational Visionary. Parr, Jessica. the online edition of a Northeastern University Libraries exhibition. Boston: Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, 2004. Contains numerous photographs plus biographical information.
• The Frank Palmer Speare papers, 1896-1951 are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.