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Clifton R. Wharton Jr.
Clifton R. Wharton Jr., the first Black president of Michigan State University, whose tenure came in the 1970s during a turbulent time in the nation, died Saturday in New York. He was 98.
Wharton served as president from 1970-78. Besides being the first Black president of MSU, he was the first Black to lead a major predominantly white university in the United States. From 1978 to 1987, he served as chancellor of the State University of New York from 1978-87, making him the first Black to lead the nation’s largest university system with 64 campuses, according to an obituary by MSU.
Wharton earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Harvard, a master’s degree from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins and a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago.
Early in his career, the obituary says, Wharton worked in Singapore and Malaysia from 1958–64, representing a foundation headed by John D. Rockefeller 3rd. From 1982-87, he served as chairman of the Rockefeller Foundation.
In 1993, he became deputy Secretary of State under President Clinton.
MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz and the Board of Trustees released a joint statement Sunday:
"But, so fittingly for a leader in higher education, his focus on developing people might be said to be his most outstanding legacy. He declared at the outset that, 'What is frequently required is not a pronouncement of leadership but rather encouragement of the individuals within the institution.' There are many who will attest to the impact of his focus on people, one of the many reasons he will long live in the hearts of Spartans."
He is survived by Doloris, his wife of 74 years, and son Bruce.
