Alonzo S. Church

Who was Alonzo S. Church?

Alonzo S. Church was the sixth president of the University of Georgia, U.S.A. in Athens. He served in that capacity from 1829 until his resignation in 1859.

Church was born on April 9, 1793 in Brattleboro, Vermont and died on May 18, 1862 in Athens. He was an 1816 graduate of Middlebury College. He initially joined the UGA faculty as a Professor of Mathematics and served in that capacity for ten years before assuming the presidency.

Although Church served longer than any president of the University, there were numerous clashes with student and faculty during his tenure which resulted in declines in enrollment and faculty upheaval.

During Church's tenure, the following campus buildings were erected: Classroom/Library, the Chapel, Phi Kappa Hall, Lumpkin House, Lustrat House, Garden Club House and The Arch.

President Church's son, Alonzo Webster Church, was Librarian of the United States Senate. President Church's great-grandson, Alonzo Church, was also a renowned Professor of Mathematics; he taught at both Princeton University and UCLA.