Samuel Braden

From China to Indiana

Samuel Edward Braden (1914-2003) was the tenth president of Illinois State University. Born in China to missionary parents, Braden attended the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Wisconsin where he earned his PhD in economics. Like his predecessor, Braden served in the military during World War II, making the rank of First Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps. After the war, Braden went back to academics, attaining teaching and administrative positions at Indiana University – Bloomington.

Campus Unrest

Braden began his tenure at ISU at a volatile period in American history. The country was heavily involved in the Vietnam conflict and was in the latter years of the Civil Rights Movement. Students at campuses across the nation were protesting, and, in some cases, those protests turned violent. While ISU did not experience the same level of unrest, tensions were certainly high during Braden’s tenure. He worked hard to keep the campus open while also working to obtain the finances needed to expand the university’s academic programs and to construct planned facilities. However, the strain of presidency was too much for Braden, and he stepped down in 1970.

Enduring Vision

Though Braden’s tenure was short, his vision for the campus has endured. Braden was able to secure funding for a new University Union, which opened in 1973. The nation’s first Division I African-American head basketball coach, Will Robinson, was hired during his presidency. And though tensions were high across campus, Braden was generally well respected for hearing all sides of a dispute and trying to find compromise. Thanks to his efforts, the auditorium in the University Union was renamed at the university’s 125th anniversary to Braden Auditorium in his honor. Samuel Edward Braden died on August 13, 2003 in Bloomington, Indiana and was buried at the Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Madison, Indiana.