Cluff, Benjamin, Jr., 1858-1948
Dates
- Existence: 1858 - 1948
Biographical History
Benjamin Cluff, Jr. (1858-1948) was an educator and businessman in Utah and California. He was principal of Brigham Young Academy and president of Brigham Young University from 1892 to 1903.
Benjamin Cluff, Jr. was born in Provo, Utah on February 7, 1858 to Benjamin Cluff and Mary Ellen Foster. In 1877, Cluff enrolled in Brigham Young Academy and began working as a janitor to pay for his tuition. However, soon after he received a call to serve a mission to the Sandwich Islands. Returning to Utah in 1882, Cluff was offered a teaching job as an instructor of mathematics at Brigham Young Academy by Karl G. Maeser. In 1886, he attended the University of Michigan and received his Bachelor of Science in 1890. Upon his return to Utah, he became the assistant principal of the Brigham Young Academy.
Cluff was married to Mary Jane John in 1883, and later entered into marriage with Harriet Cullimore in 1886, and Florence Mary Reynolds in 1898. He had twenty-one children with his three wives.
Under Cluff's direction, plans for a new building were begun and students selected white and blue as the school colors. Cluff returned to the University of Michigan for a master's degree in 1893, and became the principal of the academy when he returned to Utah. In 1895 Cluff's title was changed to president, and heads of departments were named principals. He led an expedition of students to South America in 1900 for the purpose of archaeological research. On October 3, 1903, the school became Brigham Young University. In December, Cluff resigned and took a position as superintendent of a rubber plantation in Mexico. The Cluffs returned to the United States in 1924 and opened a store in Southern California. Cluff died June 14, 1948, in Redondo Beach, California.
Citation:
Harold B. Lee Library. Dept. of Archives and Manuscripts. Register of the Benjamin Cluff, Jr. diaries, 1986: p. 1 (b. Feb. 7, 1858; d. June 16, 1948; former Pres. of Brigham Young Univ.)Ancestry.com, June 15, 2011 (Benjamin Cluff; Benjamin Cluff Jr.; b. Feb. 7, 1858 in Provo, Utah; d. June 14, 1948 in Los Angeles, Calif.)
Brigham Young University High School website, June 15, 2011: Benjamin Cluff Jr. page (teacher, third principal of Brigham Young Academy, first president of Brigham Young University, academic innovator and explorer; parents were Benjamin Cluff Sr. and Mary Ellen Foster Cluff; librarian of the Coalville City Library; mathematics instructor at Brigham Young Academy; became principal of the academy in 1892; led expedition to Central America from 1900 to 1902; resigned as president in 1903; later ran a rubber plantation in Mexico and a grocery business in Calif.)
Benjamin Cluff Jr. website, June 15, 2011 (earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Michigan)
Missionary Diaries website, via WWW, Dec. 20, 2012: Benjamin Cluff, Jr. (1858-1948; b. Feb 7, 1858 in Provo, Utah; parents: Benjamin Cluff and Mary Ellen Foster; 1877, enrolled at Brigham Young Academy, worked as janitor; Sandwich Islands call, 1882; teaching job in mathematics, 1886; studied at University of Michigan, bachelor's degree 1890; assistant principal at Brigham Young Academy, m. Mary Jane John, 1883; m. Harriet Cullimore, 1886; m. Florence Mary Reynolds, 1898; twenty-one children; Academy moved to new building, adopted white and blue, Cluff earned master's degree, 1893; principal of Brigham Young Academy, 1895; president, left on South American expedition, 1900; October 3, 1903 had Academy name changed to Brigham Young University; superintendence rubber plantation in Mexico; 1924, store in Southern California; d. June 14, 1948 in Redondo Beach, Calif.)
Found in 67 Collections and/or Records:
Office of the President correspondence, 1903-1904
Contains correspondence between Cluff and students, parents, Church leaders, and others related to the administration of the Academy. Includes information on the Beaver Branch. Materials date from between 1903 and 1904.
Office of the President reports
Includes information on enrollment, academic courses and curriculum, finances, buildings, and real estate. Includes reports from Presidents Cluff, Brimhall, Harris, Nuttall (Acting), Jensen (Acting), and McDonald.
Photograph of Brigham Young Academy reunion
Photograph of a class reunion of former Brigham Young Academy students, taken between 1891 and 1895.
Photograph of Brigham Young Academy Theory of Teaching class, 1898
Photograph of first class to graduate from the new Academy Building
Photograph of the faculty of Brigham Young Academy, approximately 1900
Photographs of university trustees
Contains thirty-nine black-and-white photographs of presidents of the Board of Trustees of Brigham Young Academy and University; also views of chairmen of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of BYU. Also includes view of Karl G. Maeser's wife, Anna.
Principal's Office records, 1893-1894
Contains correspondence between Cluff and students, teachers, and others related to Brigham Young Academy. Includes information on courses offerings and the administration of the Academy. Materials date from between 1893 and 1894.
Eugene L. Roberts letters and diary excerpt
Typewritten copies of four letters and an excerpt from a diary. The letters relate to Roberts' attempt to gather material to write a biography of Benjamin Cluff (1858-1948), president of Brigham Young Academy in Provo, Utah. The items include an excerpt of Cluff's diary in 1904 and letters written about him in 1890.
Search for Zarahemla : the call of expeditionary Parley Pratt Nelson
Draft copy of paper by Garth N. Jones on his ancestor and his part in the expedition to South America with Brigham Young Academy president Benjamin Cluff, Jr. to find the ancient Book of Mormon city of Zarahemla in Colombia. Original draft finished in 2008. This 2010 edition is the corrected version with some additions.