Rackham Graduate School
From Farmer to Respected Namesake
by Gino Cavaliere
Buildings, let alone entire schools, are named after extraordinary men and women. So how did a local farmer striving to become a lawyer end up as the namesake for one of the nation’s finest graduate schools? The University of Michigan’s Rackham Graduate School acknowledges the legacy of Horace H. Rackham.
Horace Rackham’s life seemed ordinary until a favor escalated into a bonanza. “Horace H. Rackham was born on a Macomb County, Michigan, farm in 1858…, and was educated in a one-room schoolhouse” (Rackham Graduate School). Horace was a farmer practicing law at night, hoping to open a law firm. According to Rackham Graduate School, he started his law firm in 1894, and soon after his neighbor, Henry Ford, asked for a helping hand. That request would change Rackham's life.
Known to most, Henry Ford is an American icon and founder of the Michigan-based Ford Motor Company. However, what most don’t know is Ford would have failed without the generosity of Horace Rackham (Rackham Graduate School). Henry Ford couldn’t afford a lawyer to draw up his necessary papers for the company, and therefore asked his neighbor Horace Rackham to risk doing the favor in exchange for stock in the company (Rackham Graduate School). Rackham did the favor, hitting the jackpot. His “portion (of stock in Ford when he sold it) was worth $12.5 million” (Rackham Graduate School). Horace Rackham was now a millionaire wondering how to spend so much money. Simultaneously, a graduate school nearby was ascending.
Horace H. Rackham. Photo Source
According to the University of Michigan, “The University of Michigan was founded in 1817 as one of the first public universities in the nation.” These two hundred plus years have a rich history, such as the birth of a graduate school. The first postgraduate degree indicated by university records dates way back to 1845, and in 1912, the independent graduate school was running on its own (Easthope). The school has since accomplished a lot, including being one of today’s top graduate schools in the nation (GradSchoolHub). While the graduate school was still young, it received a substantial donation.
Horace Rackham never attended the University of Michigan, but wanted to fund further education. There was no better way than to donate to the University of Michigan’s developing graduate school.
“Rackham’s benefaction toward The University of Michigan dates to 1922, when he began aiding both scientific and humanistic endeavors” (Rackham Graduate School). Mentioned by Rackham Graduate School, his will left the university with $100,000 for graduate student loans, and his wife Mary Rackham donated her husband’s law library. Rackham Graduate School stated, “Rackham’s will also established the Horace H. Rackham and Mary A. Rackham Fund… expressly to aid advanced education and research.” The fund donated an additional millions of dollars to the graduate school. In 1935, Michigan’s graduate school changed its name to Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies (Easthope). According to The Ann Arbor News, Rackham Graduate School recently celebrated its 100 year anniversary. Furthermore, the university used some of the donations to construct a building, which is also named after the Rackhams.
Rackham Golf Course Huntington Woods, MI. Photo Source
Not only the namesake of a graduate school, Horace Rackham is also the namesake of a golf course, fountain at the Detroit Zoo, building in downtown Detroit, special education school at Eastern Michigan, and even a species of lizard.
Rackham is an English name originating in Sussex and literally means “homestead” (House of Names). Horace is an English and French version of the Roman family name Horatio, which comes from the Latin word for hour, time or season, according to BehindTheName.com. However, the name has a deeper meaning at Michigan. The name Rackham lives on here because it represents giving back to the less fortunate and achieving higher educational goals and values.
Works Cited
"50 Best Graduate Schools In America." (2021, June 3). GradSchoolHub. https://www.gradschoolhub.com/best/graduate-schools-in-america/
"Rackham Graduate School - University of Michigan." (2021, July 13). Horace and Mary Rackham. Rackham Graduate School: University of Michigan. https://rackham.umich.edu/about/history/horace-and-mary-rackham/
Rackham Graduate School - University of Michigan. (2018, September 14). A Chronicle of Graduate Education 1845 to 1982. Rackham Graduate School: University of Michigan. https://rackham.umich.edu/about/history/chronicle/
"Rackham Name Meaning, Family History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms." (n.d.). HouseOfNames. https://www.houseofnames.com/rackham-family-crest
Woodhouse, K. (2012, April 27). After years of study, hundreds of Ph.D students say goodbye to University of Michigan. The Ann Arbor News. https://www.annarbor.com/news/after-years-of-study-hundreds-of-phd-students-say-goodbye-to-university-of-michigan/
"UM History." University of Michgian Campus Information. (n.d.). https://campusinfo.umich.edu/article/um-history