James Clement Furman was the first president of Furman University (1859-1880) and the son of the University’s founder. Throughout his life, it was clear that he valued the importance of both formal and informal education. He was one of the first attendees of the Furman Theological Institute and by the age of 44, was a senior professor at Furman Institution. He went on to serve as the chairman for the Institution’s faculty and later the President, a position he would hold for over 20 years.
But James C. Furman’s education went beyond the classroom. He was also an avid reader and had an impressive library of religion, history, philosophy, literature, and other books. In recent months, librarians and staff at the Special Collections and Archives have attempted to reconstruct a list of books owned by James C. Furman. They were aided in this task by R.W. Sanders, a reporter for The Baptist Courier who visited James C. Furman’s home over several months (during 1909-1910), and wrote a continuing column on the contents of his personal library. Read the list.
As part of this effort, Special Collections and Archives has also created an online presentation which provides a selective re-creation of what might have been in the personal library of James C. Furman using documents, materials, and personal artifacts. View presentation here.
If you’d like to read more about James C. Clement, please visit the Richard Furman and James C. Furman digital collection and browse the handwritten notes of the University’s first president. View digital collection.