Hermon C. Bumpus

President, 1915 - 1919

Hermon Carey Bumpus’ presidency was a departure from the Tufts norm. He was the first non-Universalist, the first Ph.D. holder, and the first to be chosen to lead Tufts based on his “educational and administrative experience." Trained as a biologist, zoologist, and botanist, Bumpus had previously held positions at the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole and the American Museum of Natural History, as well as Brown and the University of Wisconsin.

On the afternoon of his inauguration, Bumpus held a public discussion of “The Obligations of the College to the State” with participants including the Governor of Massachusetts, presidents of several prominent colleges, and a high school principal from Springfield. His inaugural speech emphasized the responsibility of alumni and college administrators to carry out their duties to the college not just financially but philosophically— to consider the role of the college in their community.

During his short presidency, Bumpus guided Tufts through a period of financial deficit and put the college on a path toward expansion. He also saw Tufts through the 1918 flu pandemic. Although he outlined plans to grow academic programs and physical spaces, he was interrupted by World War I. When the United States entered the war, Bumpus adjusted Tufts’ schedule and requirements in kind with other colleges to aid students who interrupted their studies to join the military. Bumpus himself also lent a hand to the war effort, taking a position in Washington as chief of the Organization Branch of the Methods Control Division of the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps in addition to his duties as Tufts president. These external responsibilities may have contributed to his decision to resign from the presidency in 1919, after less than 5 years in office.