Stockton Axson papers

Dr. Stockton Axson, the son of Presbyterian Minister Samuel Edward and Margaret (Hoyt) Axson, was born in Rome, Georgia, on June 6, 1867. He attended Wesleyan University where he received a B.A. (1890), an M.A. (1892), and an LHD (1914). He also attended Johns Hopkins University and Knox College before becoming a teacher of English at the University of Vermont in 1892. He was staff lecturer for the American Society for University Extension from 1894 to 1896, taught at Adelphi College in Brooklyn from 1896 to 1899, and from 1899 to 1914 was professor of English at Princeton University.

In 1914, Axson moved to Texas to teach at the Rice Institute (now Rice University). He was made head of the English department and became a recognized authority on Shakespeare. During his career he published numerous lectures and reviews. He also took an interest in government affairs through the influence of his brother-in-law and personal friend President Woodrow Wilson. From 1917 to 1919, Axson served as national secretary of the American Red Cross and was very involved in national politics through President Wilson. He returned to Rice at the end of World War I and continued to teach there until his death on February 26, 1935.

During his time at Rice, Dr. Axson was a very prominent and respected member of the Houston community. He quickly became one of the most famous lecturers and teachers at the university. After his death, a memorial fund was established in his name and was used to purchase 2100 English plays written between 1700 and 1800, a fitting gift for a dedicated scholar of 17th and 18th century literature. Today the collection remains in the Woodson Research Center Special Collections and Archives in Fondren Library at Rice University.