San Francisco County
Biographies
ALEXANDER
CRIPPEN ROBERTS, PH. D.
One of the foremost educationists of California is Dr. Alexander Crippen Roberts, who is now the president of the San Francisco State Teachers College. He is a native of Plainfield, Iowa, where his birth occurred June 5, 1878, and he is a son of Jesse Miles and Cornelia Locey (Crippen) Roberts.
Dr. Roberts graduated from high school in Mason City, Iowa, in the year 1896. He then took up his more advanced studies at the Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and following his graduation therefrom in 1901, entered the University of Wisconsin, which institution conferred upon him the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1906. Further scholastic honors were forthcoming to him in 1917, when the University of Washington gave him the Master of Arts degree, and again in 1922 when the same institution presented him with the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
The fine career of Dr. Roberts in education began with a teacher’s position in the country schools of Butler county, Iowa, which he held from 1896 until 1898. From the latter year until 1899, he was a teacher in a grade school in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, and from 1901 to 1902 he taught in the high school of Waverly, Iowa. He became superintendent of schools in Marathon, Iowa, in 1902, and so continued until 1904. He was likewise superintendent of schools in Cresco, Iowa, from 1906 to 1909, and in Fairfield, Iowa, from 1909 until 1910. During the period from 1910 until 1918, he was principal of the high school in Everett, Washington, and was superintendent of schools in the same city from 1918 until 1920. He was president of the State Normal School in Centralia, Washington, during the period of 1920-21, and was a lecturer and professor at the University of Washington from 1921 to 1927. He held the position of director of the extension service of this school from 1924 to 1927. In the latter year, by reason of his splendid accomplishments and qualifications, he was appointed president of the San Francisco State Teachers College, a history of which is presented elsewhere in this publication. In every respect, Dr. Roberts has justified the choice of the college authorities in selecting him for this responsible post. He has likewise been extensively engaged as a lecturer in various summer schools, such as those of the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, the Cheney State Normal School, the University of California, the University of Texas, and the University of Southern California. He was a lecturer in secondary education at the University of California in 1928-29. He is also an author of note on educational topics, having written “Studies in Scholarship” in 1924, and acted as co-author of “The High School Principal” in 1927, “Extraclass and Intramural Activities in High Schools” in 1918, “Principles of American Secondary Education” and “Workbook in Secondary Education” in 1931.
In Cedar Falls, Iowa, July 15, 1903, Dr. Roberts was married to Emily Hannah Fields, and to their union have been born the following children: Margaret M., who is the wife of Harold Thomas Condon of Seattle; Cass Bentley; Bruce Joseph; and Mabel Lucille.
Dr. Roberts is a member of the Methodist Church, and in politics gives his support to the republican party. He is a member of the honorary scholarship fraternity Phi Beta Kappa, and also belongs to the Phi Delta Kappa educational fraternity. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, and the Rotary Club of this city.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Source: Byington, Lewis Francis, “History of
San Francisco 3 Vols”, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.,
Chicago, 1931. Vol. 3 Pages 176-178.
© 2008 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
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