Henry MacCracken was born in
Oxford, Ohio on September 28, 1840. He graduated from
Miami University in Ohio in 1857. After a brief teaching career, he entered the
Presbyterian ministry in 1863. From 1881 to 1884 he served as the sixth chancellor of the
University of Pittsburgh, then called the Western University of Pennsylvania. In 1884 he was appointed professor of philosophy and vice chancellor of
New York University, becoming chancellor in 1891. Before his retirement in 1910, the University Heights campus was acquired, a graduate school and schools of commerce and pedagogy were founded, and the university medical school was strengthened by union with
Bellevue Hospital medical college. While chancellor he was responsible for the creation of
Hall of Fame for Great Americans on the campus and using the term "Hall of Fame" in English, inspired by Munich's
Ruhmeshalle ("hall of fame" in German). Henry MacCracken died in
Orlando, Florida on December 24, 1918. He was buried at
Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City.
Henry Noble MacCracken, president of
Vassar College from 1915 to 1946, and
John Henry MacCracken, president of
Lafayette College from 1915 to 1926, were his sons. == Legacy ==