Page:Men of Mark in America vol 1.djvu/408

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JOHN EATON

of great value bearing upon the growth of colleges and other educational institutions which were indexed and made available for reference. He resigned in 1886 to accept the presidency of Marietta college, and he was at the head of that institution, 1886-91. He was president of the American Society of Religious Education, president of the Presbytery of Athens, Ohio, one term, and president of the State Synod of Ohio one term; and in 1896 became president of Sheldon Jackson college, Salt Lake City, Utah. He resigned this presidency in 1898, and was appointed Inspector of Education for Porto Rico.

He was originally a Congregationalist, but became a Presbyterian from choice. He was married September 29, 1864, to Alice Eugenia, daughter of James and Adeline (Quincy) Shirley, of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and three of their four children were living in 1904. He was a companion of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, and an honorary member of various sanitary, historical, scientific and educational associations; vice-president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; president of the American Social Science Association by two elections; honorary member of the French Ministry of Public Instruction, and a member of the Japanese Society of Savants for the promotion of Education. He was a trustee of Fiske university, of Howard university, of Marietta college, and of the Theological seminary at Cincinnati. He declined decorations offered by European governments, but accepted knighthood conferred by Emperor Don Pedro in 1875. He received the honorary degree of Ph.D. from Rutgers college. New Jersey, in 1872, and of LL.D. from Dartmouth in 1876. He is the author of reports, circulars and bulletins of the United States Bureau of Education (1870-86); "History of Thetford Academy" (1895); "Mormons of Today" (pamphlet, 1897) and "Reminiscences of Grant, Lincoln and the Negro" (1905). In a retrospect of his life General Eaton expresses himself as having generally fallen short of his purposes; and he would save young men from the mistake of striving to do something sensational in any field of activity, and would inculcate habits of plain living and high thinking.

His life-record is filled with honorable achievement, and well illustrates the possibilities of public service, which are open to any American boy of high purpose, persevering energy and unflinching Christian principle.