Harvey N. Davis
| Harvey Nathaniel Davis | |
|---|---|
| 3rd President of Stevens Institute of Technology |
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In office 1928–1951 |
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| Preceded by | Alexander Crombie Humphreys |
| Succeeded by | Jess Harrison Davis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 6, 1881 Providence, Rhode Island |
| Died |
December 3, 1952 (aged 71) Hoboken, New Jersey |
| Alma mater | Harvard |
Harvey Nathaniel Davis (June 6, 1881 – 3 December 1952) was the 3rd President of Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey.
He was born on June 6, 1881 in Providence, Rhode Island to Nathaniel French Davis and Lydia Martin Bellows.
Harvey Nathaniel Davis obtained his Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University, taught mathematics at Brown University and later returned to Harvard as a Professor of Physics and Mechanical Engineering. He married Alice Marion Rhode on 28 June 1911. Their son, Nathaniel Davis was born in 1925 and would go on to become a United States Diplomat and Professor and Harvey-Mudd College. Harvey Davis would influence the academic and industrial side of engineering through the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In 1928 the family moved to Hoboken as Harvey N. assumed his appointment to the position of President of Stevens Institute of Technology. Davis remained well rounded, participating in activities and policy making outside of the Institute. Shortly after assuming his residency he joined the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce in 1928, becoming its Director in 1929 and Vice President from 1931 to 1933.
Davis was a manager of the ASME from 1929 to 1930, elevating to Vice President in 1931 until 1932 and President from 1938 to 1939. In 1930 he orchestrated a fiftieth anniversary celebration of the society in Stevens' auditorium: the exact location in which the ASME had been founded. The hallmark of the festivities was a play entitled "Control: A Pageant of Engineering Progress" under the direction of Harold Burris-Meyer and G.P. Baker.
Upon taking office, Davis affirmed his support in general engineering courses and almost immediately expanded the courses in Civil Engineering by introducing a six-week surveying experience that students would complete the summer before their sophomore years at Camp Johnsonburg, a satellite of Stevens' main campus. The Mechanical Engineering program also incorporated more practical projects to instill a knowledge of basic principles. The Economics and Humanities Departments were also expanded and strengthened, including the development of a "Human Engineering Laboratory." This laboratory gave aptitude and vocational guidance tests to Stevens students and implemented a change in exact mathematical grades for courses to letter grades.
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