Butler, Nicholas Murray

Ira Bogotch

During a 60-year career at Columbia University, Nicholas Murray Butler (1862–1947) stands as both an educational leader and a national statesman. After receiving his PhD in 1884, he joined the Department of Philosophy. His educational writings were clearly influenced by his studies of continental philosophy, which would often put him in sharp conflict with some of America's greatest pragmatic philosophers, such as John Dewey, who also taught at Columbia. By training and disposition, Butler was a man of strict traditional principles with students. Nevertheless, his educational leadership promoted academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas. Professionally, he helped establish and lead Teachers College prior to and during its affiliation with Columbia University. His vision for ...

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