Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in 1881. Northwestern University Cummings’ time at Northwestern (1881–1890) was marked by expansion of the campus, construction of many new buildings, and a greater level of financial solvency than Northwestern had previously known. Cummings was able to increase faculty salaries, pay off Northwestern's debt, and add new buildings to the Evanston campus (e.g. Fayerweather Hall of Science in 1881, Dearborn Observatory in 1889, and Hatfield House, a dormitory for men, in 1890). He was a noted teacher. Charles Henry Fowler, another President of Northwestern, had been his student at Genesee College, and a number of Northwestern professors—including Robert Cumnock and Herbert Fisk studied with or under him at Wesleyan. During his lifetime, Cummings was widely recognized as a preeminent Methodist scholar and pastor, which is evident from the numerous honorary degrees he received for his good works. He was granted an honorary D.D. from Wesleyan University in 1854, another from Harvard College in 1861, and an L.L.D. from Northwestern University in 1866. When Cummings died on May 7, 1890, his funeral was well attended by prominent educators and ministers, and the eulogies given on his behalf were bound. He was survived by his wife, Deborah, who remained a trustee of Northwestern University until her death in 1900, and his two adoptive daughters, Mary (born in 1846) and Alice (1856–1932). Daniel Bonbright, Northwestern's Latin professor from 1856 to 1912 and President from 1900 to 1902, married Alice Cummings in 1890, and it was in their house that Joseph Cummings died. Joseph Cummings and his wife Deborah Cummings are buried in Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois. References External links 1817 births 1890 deaths People from Falmouth, Maine People from Evanston, Illinois Presidents of Northwestern University Presidents of Wesleyan University Harvard Divinity School alumni Wesleyan University alumni Syracuse University faculty American sermon writers 19th-century American Methodist ministers Methodists from Maine Methodist writers Genesee Wesleyan Seminary alumni Burials at Rosehill Cemetery Kents Hill School alumni