James Gilchrist

UNI 150: People you should know

The first principal at the Iowa State Normal School

James Cleland Gilchrist was hired as the first principal, now considered the president, of the Iowa State Normal School in 1876. Gilchrist was highly qualified for the position as he had been head of seven educational institutions before coming to Cedar Falls, with three of them being state normal schools.

On the first day of classes, just 27 students and four faculty members met for classes. Gilchrist declared the “Iowa State Normal School is in session,” followed by the singing of a hymn, scripture reading and a prayer offering. At the time, the campus was forty acres and one building. Gilchrist’s annual salary was $1,500 with free housing benefits in the main building. 

Gilchrist not only administered the college, but also taught philosophy and didactics. He was a powerful speaker, often holding sermons and lectures. He spoke highly of the importance of education and the respect he has for teachers. “You see the beautiful results of education - a grand man or woman; it is the teacher’s work, but the world acknowledges it not; but go forward, the rewards are beyond,” he said. 

His daughter, Maude Gilchrist is known as UNI’s youngest graduate, receiving her Bachelor of Didactics at just 16 years old. She was also a part of the first graduating class of the Iowa State Normal School. 

After 10 years of service to UNI, Gilchrist resigned, leaving a measurable impact.

“When the school opened in 1876, there was little public sentiment in the state in favor of the professional education of teachers by the state management. When he left the work in 1886, there was considerable public sentiment developed, and the entire question of the professional education of teachers was a prominent topic for educational meetings and for legislative debate,” reported the “Normal Eyte.” 

There have been two UNI buildings named for James Gilchrist. The first Gilchrist Hall was completed in 1882 and burned in 1972. The building now known as Gilchrist Hall, UNI's main administration building, was dedicated to Principal Gilchrist in 1975, ten years after its construction. Gilchrist joins presidents Curris, Seerley, Latham, Kamerick, Price and Maucker in having campus facilities that bear their names. 

The James Celand Gilchrist papers, including works and reports from his time as the ISNS administrator, are now stored in University Archives for research purposes.