Dr. Joseph F. Tuttle

Dr. Joseph F. Tuttle

Born on March 12, 1818 in Bloomfield, New Jersey, Joseph Farrand Tuttle was the son of a Presbyterian minister. His father’s influence had a great impact on Tuttle's life. He was educated at Marietta College in 1837 and then attended Lane Theological Seminary to become a Presbyterian minister. His first job was not in education, but in the ministry at the Second Presbyterian Church in Delaware, Ohio. Sixteen years later, in 1861, Joseph Tuttle became the third president of Wabash College. This was a post that he held until his resignation following the 1891-1892 school year. During his tenure at Wabash, the college experienced enormous financial growth and unprecedented additions to the buildings on campus.

Tuttle was very involved in the community of Crawfordsville in many ways during his time in the city. When he took the job at Wabash College, he also became the pastor at the Center Presbyterian Church. He also took an interest in the public schools of Crawfordsville. In 1897 he was asked to speak at the dedication of the Old Willson School located at the corner of Wallace and Wabash Avenues.

After resigning from Wabash College, Tuttle stayed in Crawfordsville with his wife, Mrs. Susan C. Tuttle, until his death on June 8, 1901. Crawfordsville Community Schools honored Tuttle shortly after his death by naming the new grade school after him. Even after the original building was torn down, Tuttle's name remained.

General Lew Wallace was quoted as saying the following at the funeral of Tuttle, “He was a man among men, whom it was a pleasure and a benediction to have known.”

Bowerman, John.  "Tuttle was the Symbnol of Goodness, Honesty."  Journal Review: Montgomery County Magazine ed.: 5-6. Dec. 1980.

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Wabash College: The First Hundred Years. Osborne and Gronert