holmes john holmes september december responsible establishment founder spearheaded movement build agriculture college michigan home named honor moving detroit age holmes married merchant family later got involved background education led found group dedicated establishing state funded agricultural college michigan holmes spent years drafting legislation gaining support cause michigan state governor signed bill establishing holmes involved details influencing purchase land campus layout buildings placement chairs tables college opened assumed role treasurer later professor holmes fallen favor college administrators retired home detroit continued support visit college death biography born salem massachusetts moved michigan gained employment detroit merchant store years married boss daughter soon partner family business holmes served president following years member detroit founded immediately assumed goal foster establishment state funded agricultural college michigan holmes served secretary college proponent conference fellow society members drafted bill create college significantly holmes college independent university_of_michigan feared agricultural studies receive attention needed survive thrive schools holmes spent years gathering supporters movement traveling expense gather petition signatures state january holmes went state capital lobby legislature agricultural college spent weeks bill wrote support house_of_representatives senate legislators supported basic concept state funded agricultural college strong opposition university_of_michigan president wanted agriculture program school holmes prevailed february michigan governor signed establishing school final draft bill held significant differences holmes presented purchase price exceed acre holmes desired site miles provision added silence factions wanted new college built holmes work begun act wholly charge selecting site june holmes society executive committee visited sites offered land including near present towns result low stipulated price acre sites land campus eventually holmes wrote proposal purchase acres farm located miles east capitol included second proposal outlining college organization specific appointments staff approved site purchase july months later proven unable progress deciding basics college including buildings require board turned holmes continued site making preliminary surveys consideration reported board school required main buildings combination classroom office building dormitory man responsible design original dormitory known saints rest addition professor official director campus planning direct successor holmes makes point noting proposed sites buildings answered record holmes hand makes unlikely decision buildings completed classes commenced college began operations holmes appointed treasurer showing decision small escape view said supervised placing chairs tables college hall college volume library donated meant holmes secretary society conveyed library treasurer college addition treasurer holmes appointed school superintendent responsible campus planning planting title alternately professor short period february suspended ostensibly financial reasons fact wild condition land hardly time holmes allowed continue residing original campus faculty row houses end term march holmes asked resign treasurer complied time year following appointed superintendent guiding students planting college gardens improving grounds continued listed college catalog titles including secretary treasurer legacy major reorganization college transferred control newly formed holmes retained despite urging colleagues spiritual debt college owed holmes returned detroit area lived years remained active community continued president wrote circa welcome visitor college friends holmes held official position college known explanation change fortune wrote clearly troubles financial ones suggested minutes professor contrasts holmes legacy donation modest library british pounds led major university bears implying debt holmes far greater professor called important agent school president abbot said man college years founding high regard holmes clear book painting clearly meant exact moment genesis mythological glow finally named new story modernist residence hall holmes building stands day home
John Clough Holmes