Philip G. Hoffman | |
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![]() Hoffman, ca. 1963
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1st Chancellor of the University of Houston System |
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In office 1977–1979 |
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Succeeded by | Charles E. Bishop |
5th President of the University of Houston |
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In office 1961–1977 |
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Preceded by | Clanton W. Williams |
Succeeded by | Barry Munitz |
Personal details | |
Born | 6 August 1915 Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan |
Died | 29 October 2008 Houston, Texas |
(aged 93)
Spouse(s) | Mary Harding |
Children | Mary Victoria Cobb Ruth Ann Cabler Jeanne Camp Philip G. Hoffman, Jr. |
Alma mater |
Pacific Union College University of Southern California Ohio State University |
Profession | Professor |
Religion | Presbyterian |
Website | UH Office of the President |
Philip Guthrie Hoffman (6 August 1915 – 29 October 2008) was the fifth president of the University of Houston, and the first chancellor of the University of Houston System. While at the university, he was instrumental in obtaining state affiliation, transitioning to a racially integrated status, and expanding enrollment in multiple locations. Hoffman also served as president of the Texas Medical Center. Prior to his appointment as president of UH, he was a professor and administrator for several universities.
Hoffman was born in 1915 in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan to Benjamin Philip Hoffman and Florence Guthrie Hoffman who were serving as missionaries there. The family moved to Oregon when he was five. Hoffman received a BBA from Pacific Union College in 1938, and a Master's degree in History from the University of Southern California in 1942. He then served in the United States Navy during World War II as an intelligence officer.
After the war, Hoffman earned his Doctorate in History from Ohio State University in 1948. During and after his graduate work at Ohio State, he worked as a professor at the university until 1949. He then went to the University of Alabama, where he served as an associate and assistant professor until 1953. Until 1956, Hoffman was first vice-dean and then dean of the general extension division for the Oregon State System of Higher Education (now known as the Oregon University System).