Introduction

The University of Tennessee at Martin operated as a state school under a campus executive officer until it became a degree-granting institution in the 1950s.

The first to hold this leadership position was Calvin Porter Claxton.

Early Life and Education

Born April 23, 1898, in Greensboro, North Carolina, Claxton was the son of Tennessee educator Philander Priestly Claxton and Anne Elizabeth Porter.

He earned a Bachelor of Science and Arts in education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1919.

He began his career as principal of Bell Buckle High School in Bedford County.

Founding UT Junior College

Claxton returned to UT in 1926 and earned a Master of Science in education in 1927.

He was appointed executive officer of the new University of Tennessee Junior College in Martin later that year.

He was responsible for nearly all campus operations, from hiring faculty to purchasing equipment.

Claxton led the college through its early formative years until 1934.

Later Career and Legacy

Due to economic hardship during the Great Depression, UTJC enrollment dropped, and Claxton was recalled to Knoxville in 1934.

He served as assistant professor of rural education at UT, then as director of rural education at West Georgia College.

From 1943–1954, he worked as an education specialist for the Institute of Inter-American Affairs.

Later, he held senior educational roles in Panama, including directing the Servicio Cooperative Interamericano de Educación.

Claxton passed away on August 20, 1963, and is buried in Highland Memorial Cemetery in Knoxville.