Charles Monroe STRONG ²

   Another name for Charles was Charles Munro STRONG.

  General Notes:

When I first began my research of my Strong family, I felt bad for Charley, an orphaned 10 year old described as a "hireling" in the 1880 enumeration of the household of James M. Turley. I was not at first able to find out what became of him, but I feared the worst -- quite the contrary as it turned out. James and Elizabeth Turley had no children of their own and so he became their foster son. They were a properous farming family and appear to have given Charley every opportunity to succeed in life.

A summary of Charles' early academic and professional career appears in the 1912-13 Catalogue of University of Washington, and is set forth below:

"CHARLES MUNRO STRONG, A. M., Assistant Professor of Spanish
A. B. University of Missouri, 1897; A. M., 1900; Fellow in German, University of Missouri, 1899-1900; Professor of German, French and Spanish, St. John's Military Academy, Delafield, Wisconsin, 1900-01; Newspaper work, United States and Cuba, 1902-1906; Instructor in Spanish, University of Washington, 1906-February, 1909; Interpreter with Curtis North American Indian History Expedition of the Southwest, February, 1909-February, 1910; Instructor in Spanish, University of Washington, 1910-12; Assistant Professor, 1912-."

Note the reference to newspaper work, both in the United States and Cuba. Per A Journalism of Humanity: a Candid History of the World's First Journalism, by Steve Weinberg (an online Google book), a Charles M. Strong founded the Columbia Daily Tribune, the first daily newspaper in Columbia, Missouri, in 1901, serving as editor and publisher. In 1902, he sold a 50% interest to Ernest A. Mitchell, and in 1905 sold his remaining interest to Mitchell. (Mitchell died later that same year and Edwin M. Watson acquired the newspaper. Watson was succeeded by his nephew, H. J. "Jack" Waters, Jr. in 1937, and the Waters family continues to own and manage the newspaper in 2010. Thus, this has been a Watson/Waters family newspaper since 1905, a remarkable achievement.) That it was our Charles Monroe Strong who was the founder of the Daily Tribune is confirmed by a biographical sketch published in the 10 Mar 1917 issue of the Daily Tribune, which notes their founder was then an exchange professor from the University of Washington to Chili. (See below.)

The Daily Tribune article also stated that Charles remained with the paper for about a year after he sold his remaining interest and then he left Columbia, Missouri, to become the editor of the Havana Post in Cuba, where he remained for several years before accepting a professorship at the University of Washington. (Query. "Several years" is not consistent with his C.V. above.) The article also described Charles as "one of those men whom the world calls self-made and who worked his way through the university."

In 1917, Charles was involved in the first international faculty exchange at the University of Washington. This experience is recounted in the 1919 Biennial Report of the Board of Regents of the University of Washington:

"During the present biennium the University has been fortunate in being able to receive assistance from other universities and colleges. The first international exchange of professors was put into operation when Professor Benjamin Oyarzun was accredited by the government of Chile to the University of Washington, where he held the Sanfuentes lectureship on Spanish Language and Literature. In exchange, the University sent Professor Charles M. Strong of the Spanish Department to Valparaiso, Chile, where he occupied Professor Oyarzun's chair at the Commercial Institute. This exchange has been instrumental in quickening the interest of the people of each country in the other and is regarded as the beginning of similar international exchanges."

In 1919, Charles was living in Mexico City, as evidenced by the Application for Probate of the Will of James M. Turley, Dec'd, in Vernon County, Missouri, wherein he was identified as a foster son. Yet, he was enumerated in Seattle in 1920, with his occupation being listed as a Spanish teacher at UW. Perhaps he was in Mexico in 1919 for another faculty exchange program. [But see the below referenced Georgia Tech college newspaper article, which states he engaged in newspaper and publicity work in Mexico.] He was also listed as a resident of Mexico City in a 26 Jan 1921 inheritance tax order in connection with his inheritance from the Turley estate, but I suspect that he was then still in Seattle teaching at the University of Washington and that his place of residence had just been carried over from the original application for probate of the Turley will. [His inheritance, which was received upon the death of Elizabeth Turley, was valued at $700 and consisted mostly of shares of stock in the Stotesbury State Bank. The bulk of the Turley estate passed to blood relatives.] (Source: Probate file for the Estate of James M. Turley, Record ID No. 30157, Bushwhacker Museum, Nevada, Missouri.)

In 1921, Charles' career underwent some significant changes, both from an academic standpoint and also geographically. From 1921-1924, he was an instructor in marketing and economics at the Boston University College of Business Administration, and in 1924, he accepted a professorship at Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University), where he served as acting head of the Economics Department until 1926. (Sources: The American Economic Review, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Dec., 1924), page 835; A History of Economics and Business at Auburn University, by David. O. Whitten and Bessie Emrick Whitten, 1992, page 24 -- the latter source identifying him as Charles Munro Strong, A.B., A.M., Missouri).

In 1926, while still at Auburn (note byline), the following article appeared in the Georgia Tech college newspaper, The Technique, Vol. XV, No. 18, dated February 26, 1926:

"SOUTHERN STUDENTS WILL HAVE CHANCE TO TOUR EUROPE
Auburn, Ala., Feb 25
A Dixie students' tour of Europe is being organized and will be conducted during the coming summer under the personal supervision of Professor Charles M. Strong, head of the Department of Economics here [referring to Auburn]. The tour is arranged especially for southern students and teachers and will be under the supervision of the Tourist Company of the East.
The party will sail from New York aboard the steamer Lancastria, June 5, and on the return trip will dock in the same city August 2. Included in the itinerary will be sightseeing tours of Paris, several days on Swiss lakes and motoring along the Bay of Naples and along the Riviera. It also includes places of literary and historical interest, cities of medieval art treasures and the industrial centers of Europe. The itinerary has been arranged so as to combine the scenic and educational features of the countries visited.
Among the cities to be visited are: Cherbourg, Paris, Avignon, Nice, Genoa, Rome, Naples, Florence, Venice, Milan, Lucerne, Interlaken, Heidelberg, Cologne, Brussels, Amsterdam, The Hague, London and Southhampton, from which place the party will sail. A steamer trip up the Rhine will be made, as well as trips through the Shakespeare country and a visit to Oxford.
Professor Strong has conducted a number of tours through Europe and is an experienced conductor, having conducted a similar tour last summer. He has engaged in publicity and newspaper work in Cuba and Mexico, and was an exchange professor to Chile from the University of Washington in 1917-1918. He was for a number of years a member of the faculty of Boston University, both in the home university and in Havana."

To paraphrase Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, "We're not in Vernon County anymore, Toto."

In 1926, he was appointed associate professor of economics at the University of Georgia. (Source: The American Economic Review, Vol. 17, No. 3 (Sep. 1927), page 616). He was on the Georgia faculty when he died 31 Mar 1928. The following obituary appeared in the Georgia Alumni Record, Vol. V111, No. 7, (April, 1928), page 172:

"Professor Strong Dies
Professor Charles M. Strong, associate professor of Commerce at the University, died from a heart attack at his residence in Athens on Saturday, March 31.
Professor Strong had been on the School of Commerce faculty for two years, having come here from Alabama Polytechnic Institute [now Auburn University]. He was a graduate of the University of Missouri, and had received his A. B. and A. M. degrees there. He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, honorary scholastic society.
After graduating at Missouri, Professor Strong was on the faculty of Washington State University, and during this time served as exchange professor to the University of Santiago, Santiago, Chile. He was later on the faculty of Boston University for three years, two of which were spent at the University's Cuban branch.
Professor Strong was a skilled Spanish scholar, and had done extensive traveling in Europe. Associates on the faculty here stated that he suffered occasional heart attacks before his death, due to an "athletic heart" acquired from playing tennis. Professor Strong is survived by his wife, and one daughter, Pegy."



^{6 7}

  Death Notes:

The date and place of death is established by Georgia Certificate of Death No 6331. This contradicts the 28 Mar 1928 date of death set forth in the 1829 Vernon County, Missouri guardianship proceeding. The informant was his widow, Louise J. Strong.

His age at death was recorded as 54, although he was really 58. His occupation was reported as a teacher at the U of Ga. His birthplace was recorded as MO. His father's name was mistakenly recorded as C. Strong and his birthplace was recorded as MO. Name of mother and her birthplace were unknown.

Cause of death was "Sudden death - Heart, possibly coronary sclerosis."

  Burial Notes:

This entry on Charles' death certificate is baffling. Neither he nor his wife had any known connection with Cincinnati, Ohio. I can't help but think the undertaker made a mistake.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Census: 1880, Vernon County, Missouri. ⁸

Household of James Turley: Charley Strong, age 10, a hireling, born in Missouri, no entries for birthplaces of parents.

2. Education: 1897, University of Missouri. ⁹

"Charles Monroe Strong, Statebury [sic], Missouri, B. L. and Normal
President U. L. Society, '94; President New Era Debating Club, '96; U. L. Representative Declamatory Contest, '93; Winner Second Prize Tennis Tournament,'96; Local Editor Tiger, '94; Literary Editor Independent, '96-7"

3. Census: 1910, King County, Washington. ¹⁰

Dwelling 397, Family 409, Seattle Ward 10
Household of Charles P. Martinez:
Strong, Charles M, lodger, male, white, age 39, single, born in Missouri, parents born in Missouri, speaks English, professor at University

4. Census: 1920, King County, Washington. ¹¹

Dwelling 47 (Ben Lomond Apartments), Family 77, Seattle Precinct 113
Strong, Charles M, head, rents, male, white, age 45, married, can read and write, born in Missouri, parents born in Missouri, speaks English, Spanish teacher at UW
Strong, Louise, wife, female, white, age 30, married, can read and write, born in Indiana, parents born in Indiana, speaks English, no occupation
Strong, Margaret, daughter, female, white, age 3 6/12 (Enumeration date was 5 Jan 1820), born in Washington, father born in Missouri, mother born in Indiana

5. Passenger List: 1922, New York, New York. ¹²

Orizaba, arrived New York from Cuba on 23 May 1922:
Strong, Charles M., age 59, male, married, born Moniteau County, MO, Feb 15, 1873, U. S. address was White Plains, NY
Strong, Louise, age 34, female, married, born Terrehaute, IND, April 23, 1888
Strong, Margaret, age 5, female, single, born Seattle, WASH June 6, 1916

[This passenger list provides further evidence that while at Boston University he taught at a Cuba campus. Note the birth years for Charles and Louise are off by a few years and the age of Charles is 10 years off with even the incorrect date. Query whether the U. S. address information wasn't just a layover address.]

6. Estate Administration: 1929, Vernon County, Missouri. ⁵

Charles died intestate in Athens, Clarke County, Georgia, leaving as his sole heirs his wife and minor daughter, who returned to Seattle, Washington, where his wife was appointed as the guardian of the person and curator of the estate of their daughter. An ancillary estate proceeding was instituted in the Vernon County Probate Court during its Jul 1929 term, on account of Charles' ownership of an undivided half interest in real property, to wit: E1/2 of NE1/4 (except 1 acre for cemetery purposes -- this being the Turley Cemetery where Charles' parents are probably buried) of Sec. 34, Township 37, Range 33, containing 79 acres. The owner of the other undivided half interest was Julia L. Benedict (or by then perhaps H. Stanley Benedict as her successor in interest), who was the sister of Elizabeth Turley. Louise, as guardian of Margaret, sought an entension of the purchase money promissory note and trust deed, dated 1 Sep 1921, in the amount of $3400, due 1 Oct 1928. The note was extended with annual payments of $100 plus 5.5% interest and an additional 1% commission each 1 Oct, and the balance of $2600 due 1 Oct 1935. Query his reason for acquiring an interest in this property. Query, also, the effect of the Great Depression on this obligation.

Charles married Louise JORDAN on 14 Aug 1913 in Seattle, King County, Washington.¹ (Louise JORDAN was born on 23 Apr 1890 in Greencastle, Putnam County, Indiana ^{1 13} and died on 14 Aug 1954 in Seattle, King County, Washington ¹⁴.)

  Marriage Notes:

Certificate of Marriage
License No 39920

Groom:
Full Name - Chas. M. Strong
Residence - 5232 - 18th N.E.
Age at last birthday - 43
White
Single
1st Marriage
Birthplace - MO
Occupation - Teacher
Name of Father - Eli
Birthplace of Father - MO
Maiden Name of Mother - (blank)
Birthplace of Mother - MO
Signed as C. M. Strong

Bride:
Full Name - Louise Jordan
Residence - (blank)
Age at last birthday - 23
White
Single
1st marriage
Birthplace - Ind
Occupation - Teacher
Name of Father - Henry
Birthplace of Father - Ind
Maiden Name of Mother - Henrietta Miller
Birthplace of Mother - Indiana
Signed as Louise Jordan

Marriage performed in Seattle, King County, Washington on 14 Aug 1913 by A W Linard, Minister of the Gospel
Witnesses: Mary Colliver and D H Houston

Companion Marriage Certificate (does not include personal information) says they were married at the Sorority House, Univ of Wash., Seattle, Wash. ¹