Mercer University and its President H. H. Tucker

Henry Holcombe Tucker 1866-1871

• Clergyman, educator, editor (1819-1889); B.A., A.M., D.D., LL.D. degrees; married to Mary Catherine West (1848) and Sarah O. Stevens (1853)
• Expected prospective students to "call on the President within twenty-four hours after their arrival in the village, and ... present satisfactory testimonials of good moral character, and, if from other colleges, certificates of honorable dismission"
• Promoted a university library of five thousand volumes, libraries of four thousand volumes belonging to the literary societies, and a cabinet of minerals containing several thousand valuable specimens
• Published the first university catalog in eight years in April 1869
• On behalf of the university, accepted a six-acre parcel of land near Tattnall Square in Macon, which was bought by the city for $9,750 in 1870
• Moved the university from Penfield to Macon, receiving considerable criticism for the move as well as for his philosophy of education
• Arranged for faculty to conduct a semi-private school in downtown Macon in the spring of 1871
• Admired by his students for the courage of his convictions and his sense of humor, known for his strong individuality, absolute sincerity, distinct positiveness, and a talent in debate and logic

Catalog, "Disabled Soldiers," April 1869:

"Any soldier of the late Confederate army, who is disabled from manual labor by reason of wounds, and who is unable to pay the expenses of education, is welcome to Mercer University as a student, and shall receivetuition gratis. This offer has been steadily made for the last six years, and is still continued. Many have availed themselves of the aid thus proffered, and it is hoped that many others will do the same."