University Libraries - Main Library Gallery

Oil on canvas by Harold Matthews Brett, 1940
Gift of the class of 1940

Before becoming president of the University, Eugene A. Gilmore was a law scholar. The Brownville, Nebraska native received his B.A. degree from DePauw University in 1893 and his L.L.B. from Harvard in 1899.

After practicing law in Boston for three years, he served on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin law school from 1902 to 1922. That year, Gilmore was named vice-governor and secretary of public instruction in the Philippines and served as acting governor general of the islands from 1927 to 1929. In 1930, he became dean of the University of Iowa College of Law and served as University president from 1934 to 1940. Following two years as dean of the University of Pittsburgh’s law school, Gilmore returned to Iowa City in 1942.

Despite economic depression, the campus experienced substantial growth during Gilmore’s presidency. Among the university buildings constructed at the time were the fine arts and dramatic arts buildings, the Law Commons, and Hillcrest dormitory. He was president of the Association of American Law Schools and a fellow of the American Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology. He was also a member of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws.

Gilmore was born July 4, 1871, and married Blanche Basye on December 27, 1899. They had three children. He died on November 4, 1953, at age 82.