Monongalia County, West Virginia Biography of Frank Butler TROTTER ************************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: Material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor. Submitted by Valerie Crook, , March 1999 ************************************************************************** The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 6 FRANK BUTLER TROTTER, A. B., A. M. During an ex- tended period Frank Butler Trotter has been identified with the University of West Virginia at Morgantown, of which he has been president since 1916. In this time he has been known and highly regarded not only for his learn- ing, skill, executive ability and assiduity as an educator, but also for the urbanity of his manners, his literary taste and talent, and as a brilliant member of local social circles. It is the judgment of his co-laborers in the field of educa- tion in the retrospect of what he has accomplished that he has impressed himself upon the life and institutions of the community in a manner alike creditable to him- self and productive of lasting benefit to the people of the state. President Trotter was born in Washington County, Ohio, February 27, 1863, a son of James and Elizabeth (Stock) Trotter. His paternal grandfather, Robert Trotter, a native of Ireland, immigrated to the United States in 1821 and settled first in the State of New York. Subsequently he went to Crawford County, Pennsylvania, and later re- moved to Ohio, locating first in Columbiana County and removing thence to Washington County, where he spent the remainder of his life. James Trotter, father of Doctor Trotter, was born in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, March 14, 1827, and died at Aurora, West Virginia, May 26, 1914. He was but a boy when his parents removed from Pennsyl- vania to Ohio. The mother of Doctor Trotter was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, the daughter of Henry and Minerva Stock, who were of German descent. Frank Butler Trotter was a boy of thirteen years when his parents removed to West Virginia. His early education was acquired in the common and private schools of Preston County, West Virginia, and he began teaching in the public schools of that county when he was in his twentieth year. He received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts de- grees from Roanoke College, Virginia, and did graduate work at Harvard. After teaching in public and private schools for a period of six years he became professor of Latin and modern languages at Wesleyan College, Buck- hannon. He was first professor of Latin at West Vir- ginia University, then dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and from 1914 to 1916, acting president. He was elected president in 1916 and has occupied that posi- tion to the present. While the strenuous times of the World war occurred during Doctor Trotter's administration, causing unsettled conditions generally, the university has grown in every re- spect, not only in the student enrollment, faculty member- ship and buildings, but also in additions to the curriculum, athletics and student activities. He is now rounding out his seventh year of service to the state. Within that time appropriations have increased from $360,000 in 1914 to nearly $3,000,000 in 1921. The enrollment has increased from 796 in 1915 to 2,248 in 1921, and the faculty has been enlarged from 122 in 1916 to 174 in 1921. Four new buildings have been added to the institution and three more are assured at this time. The university has become widely known throughout the state and greatly popularized among the people. The highest educational standards have been maintained and an unflagging responsibility assumed for safeguarding the character and inculcating the right ideals of the students. Doctor Trotter has succeeded in connecting the university with the state as a whole and has extended the advantages of education to every citizen in even the most remote com- munities. This has been accomplished mainly through the high school, extension departments, teachers' institutes and the students themselves. Doctor Trotter has an ex- tensive acquaintance throughout the state and a broad knowledge of schools and school conditions. This knowl- edge was acquired partly through his position at Buck- hannon and partly through his former connection with the university as a member of the committee on classifica- tion and grades. As a guardian of the people's treasury, Doctor Trotter has shown remarkable ability to economize and to get full, faithful service out of his staff. Putting himself in the parents' place, he has assumed the responsi- bility of safeguarding the character of each and every student enrolled on the books of the institution. He has insisted upon the highest standards of scholarship and has demanded the best conditions of morality. A leading and active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Doctor Trotter was a delegate to the General Conference of that denomination during the years 1900, 1912 and 1916. He is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Gamma Delta fraternities. Doctor Trotter, though a thorough educator, is much more than a professional drudge. His compre- hensive education, his wide acquaintance with literature and his social qualities have made him a favorite in so- ciety. He is an entertaining speaker, with a rich flow of humor, which makes him much sought for on occasions of public hospitality. On August 22, 1895, Doctor Trotter was united in mar- riage with Miss Lillian List Steele.