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Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1906-1931 (Creation)
Extent
President from 1906-1931
Name of creator
Biographical history
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Leonard W. Riley (1906-1931) - Linfield’s twelfth president, born in Marietta, Ohio, in 1872 and died in 1945. Riley was one of Linfield’s most accomplished presidents, known for pulling the college out of a deep financial crisis. During his time, Linfield, then McMinnville College, was given the largest donation in its history, and the college was then renamed in honor of the donors, Frances Eleanor Ross Linfield and her late husband George Fisher Linfield. This encapsulated the spirit of growth that occurred during his presidency. Outside of Linfield, Riley was a member of the Baptist Convention and held many roles under the church, a sentiment carried through his presidency. Riley began his undergraduate studies at Marietta College, completing his Bachelor of Arts at Denison University; he then attended Rochester Theology Seminary to prepare him for a pastoral role in the church.