R. Ames Montgomery | |
|---|---|
 Montgomery c. 1924 | |
| 12th President of Centre College | |
| In office June 1922 – June 1926 | |
| Preceded by | William Arthur Ganfield |
| Succeeded by | Charles J. Turck |
| 9th President of Parsons College | |
| In office August 1917 – June 7, 1922 | |
| Preceded by | Lowell M. McAfee |
| Succeeded by | Howard McDonald |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 16, 1870 Hendricks County, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | July 16, 1950 (aged 80) Jonesville, Michigan, U.S. |
| Resting place | Spring Grove Cemetery |
| Spouse |
Mary Allhands
(m. 1897; died 1940) |
| Education | Miami University McCormick Theological Seminary |
| Signature |  |
Richmond Ames Montgomery (July 16, 1870 – July 16, 1950) was an American pastor and academic administrator. Ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1896 following his graduation from McCormick Theological Seminary, he held pastorates in Minnesota, Ohio, Iowa, and Missouri, before being elected president of Parsons College, a private liberal arts college in Fairfield, Iowa, in 1917. He spent five years at Parsons before resigning to accept the presidency of Centre College, another private liberal arts school, in Danville, Kentucky. He came to Centre in the midst of major popularity surrounding the school's football team, who had defeated Harvard in a major upset some months prior; this attention caused concern from some that the school was placing undue priority on football at the expense of academics. Montgomery aimed to change this and introduced measures to restore Centre's emphasis on academics, though these changes were unpopular with students, who signed a petition to remove him from office. As a result, he resigned in June 1926. Afterward, he was president of Lane Theological Seminary and held a faculty position at McCormick in his later career.