Daniel Curry papers

In 1854, the Board of Trustees elected Daniel Curry the third president of Indiana Asbury University, now DePauw University. An outsider with no ties to the community, the state, or Indiana Methodism, Curry proved to be an aggressive administrator. "Old Hippodrome," as he was soon known on campus, gained strong support from the students in confrontation with town authorities over the stabbing of an undergraduate by a local criminal. But when he attempted to strengthen college discipline, student rebellion erupted. It began in the fall of 1856 with a faculty ruling that the literary societies hold their weekly meetings on Friday afternoon rather than evening. When students resisted the ruling, claiming the right to regulate their own literary society affairs, the president demanded they sign a pledge to obey the regulations of the university or be dismissed. As a result 77 students were suspended including the entire senior class. No one graduated at commencement in 1857, though defiant seniors were eventually awarded their degrees and recognized as alumni.

In July 1857 the Board of Trustees voted a lukewarm endorsement of the administration, but Curry resigned anyway, followed by two members of the faculty. Too heavy handed and tactless for a college president, he went on to successful pastorates in New York and Connecticut and a 12-year stint as editor of the Christian Advocate in New York City.