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 ollowing the death of Chairman of the
Faculty Hardaway Hunt Dinwiddie (December 11, 1887), the fledgling
agricultural and mechanical College enjoyed a smooth and rapid
transition to a new executive officer. From the surviving
documents, there seems to be no question that the only person for
the job was Dinwiddie's closest friend and strongest supporter,
Louis Lowry McInnis. The two had worked closely together to
strengthen the agriculture and engineering programs and often
traveled together around the state to garner support and good will
for the school.
McInnis was born March 24, 1855 in Jackson,
Mississippi. As the son of a prominent Presbyterian
minister, he had excellent educational opportunities and entered
the University of Mississippi in 1871 at the age of 16. He
was a distinguished student and graduated in 1875 at age twenty
both both a Batchelor of Science and a Batchelor of Arts, ranking
third in his class. He received an appointment from his alma
mater as a tutor in chemistry and natural science while pursuing
an advanced degree. In June of 1876, a few months before the
founding of Texas A&M, McInnis graduated summa cum laude with
a Master of Arts degree.
He soon followed his two older brothers to
Texas and garnered a teaching position in Caldwell County. In
November of 1877, he accepted a position as adjunct professor from
the A&M Board of directors to teach language and
mathematics. As the new man on the faculty, he taught the
classes and assumed duties none of the "old boys"
wanted. He was only twenty-two years of age and on occasion
taught students older than himself. Texas in 1877 was still the
frontier and the students at A&M had more than their share of rough
edges. Through strength of spirit, fortitude and great
personal integrity, McInnis became a popular and greatly respected
instructor. He somehow held on at A&M after the
dismissal of the Gathright faculty and the second "house
cleaning" of 1883. Years later, McInnis would attribute
his good fortune to having been a bachelor and not being caught up
in the pitfalls of campus politics.
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The Board soon
increased his responsibilities. In 1880 he was promoted to
serve as the Chairman of mathematics and in 1882 he was elected Secretary
to the Board. He was made Treasurer of the College in 1883
while continuing to carryout all of his aforementioned
duties. When Dinwiddie became Chairman of the Faculty in
1883, McInnis became his Vice-Chairman. They were a close
team, working diligently for a common purpose. Thus it was
not a surprise that the thirty-three year old McInnis became
Chairman of the Faculty on the death of Dinwiddie. He was a
man of proven talents with the support of both the Board and the
faculty.
Under the direction of McInnis, A&M
continued to expand its academic base and increase, although
slowly, its reputation around the state. McInnis established
Chairs for botany, horticulture, civil engineering, and veterinary
medicine. The first Farmer's Institute took pace on the
campus. Between 1887 and 1890, the college completed
construction on Pfeuffer Hall, Austin Hall, Assembly Hal and the
first hospital. It would be McInnis that instituted the
rudimentary beginnings of the Aggie code of honor.
When the popular McInnis resigned his post in
1890 to take a position with the First National Bank of Bryan, he
left a career of thirteen years and a legacy of unfailing service
to the school. He continued to support the school in many
important ways until his death in 1933 at the age of
seventy-seven.
With the resignation of McInnis, the school
abandoned the experiment with the chairman of the faculty
system. Texas A&M would have a president for ten first
time since 1883. The administration of Texas A&M would
be left to the capable hands of Lawrence Sullivan Ross and a new
era would begin for the school.
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