Who was Herman B Wells?
By Sean Gilley
spgilley@iu.edu | @spgilley729
Herman B Wells was the 11th president and first chancellor of Indiana University, but he was more than that. Wells served the uni-
versity, its faculty and its students in many different capacities to transform a once small and locally focused college into a nationally ranked and accredited institution. Born on June 7, 1902, Wells was very active in his high school, where he was voted “Funniest” and “Best All-Around Boy”. He served as the treasurer for his high school’s yearbook, wrote for the school newspaper and took part in theater productions and various fundraisers. Wells initially attended the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign before IU ARCHIVES
Then-IU President Herman B Wells wears his graduation gown June 10, 1957.
transferring to Indiana University Bloomington after his freshman year. He then went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in commerce in 1924 and, later, a master’s degree in economics, also from IU. He began teaching economics at IU in 1930 until then-IU president William Lowe Bryan appointed Wells as dean of what would become the Kelley School of Business. Wells was Bryan’s protégé and would later succeed him as the university’s president in 1937 following Bryan’s unexpected departure. It was under Wells’ presidency that the university expanded and prospered. Through his lobbying efforts in Congress and Indiana’s State Legislature, as well as his fundraising campaigns among alumni and local business, he was able to undertake what he considered the “greatest single period
of expansion” in the history of the university, according to his autobiography. Wells led the development of 15 new buildings, attracted a large cohort of new faculty and budding scholars, broadened university arts and science programs and developed the university’s international study programs. Following the end of World War II, Wells also fought to end institutional segregation, to advance academic and intellectual freedom, and to protect the local environment on and around campus. After his retirement as president in 1962, Wells was appointed to the specially created position of chancellor. He held this position — overseeing special projects, fundraising and advising the university — until his death in 2000. Although no longer with us, the fruit of his labor will continue to bloom long into the future.
