Exhibit - President John Hannah: A Story of a Man Prior to his Presidency
President John Hannah was born on October 9th, 1902 in Grand Rapids Michigan, where he grew up on a farm with his family as they raised flowers, vegetables, and chickens. As a young boy he was responsible for caring for his family’s chickens and was successful in exhibiting Black Orpingtons at local fairs. During high school he assisted as the secretary of West Michigan Poultry Association and would later move on to be the secretary of the State Poultry Association. Hannah attended Grand Rapids South High School before he moved onto the Grand Rapids Junior College, where he would then transfer to the University of Michigan for law. Although Hannah had interests in being a lawyer, he was an expert in chicken husbandry and served as a teacher for Michigan farmers. His upbringing served a great role in Hannah’s journey to Michigan State University.During the winter of the 1921/1922 school year, a member of the Agricultural Extension Staff and head of the Poultry Department at Michigan State by the name of E.C Foreman visited the University of Michigan to meet with John Hannah. Foreman offered Hannah the opportunity to earn a degree in agriculture at Michigan State, and a job as extension poultryman with an annual salary of $2,500. Hannah transfer to Michigan State from the University of Michigan and received a bachelors a year later.
While attending Michigan State, Hannah was a compassionate fan of the college’s football team and enjoyed to go to all of the games. He was familiar with the players and coaches from his involvement with the team. During this time, football players were not awarded any type of scholarships or compensation for their extracurricular activities and therefore had to provide many things for themselves. Hannah recognized that he had an apartment that needed taking care of and there were football players with needs that needed to be met. He often had a football player in need living with him who would help with cooking, washing dishes, cleaning, and various other tasks in return for Hannah providing a place for them to live.
In 1933 Hannah was president-elect of the International Baby Chick Association and it played a crucial role in the drafting of a fair trade code that protected hatcheries against competition from hatcheries that lacked good morals. The new code would prevent distorted advertisement, set a minimum size for hatching eggs, erect health standards, require that chicks be sold at or above the cost of production, and managed hours and wages for workers. The fair trade code was signed into law in late 1933 by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Hannah then left Michigan State to set up the Kansas City offices of the bureau that would enforce the new code.
President Robert Shaw initiated Hannah’s return to Michigan State by offering him a job as secretaryship of the college and of the State Board. Although Hannah was offered many jobs with annual salaries as much as $18,000, he turned them down and accepted the far less annual salary of $4,200 at Michigan State because he cared far more about the college than he did about money. While working as the secretary of the college and the State Board, he worked with state legislature to ensure more funding with the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and with the State Board of Agriculture to keep them informed about the college’s growing needs. Hannah was instrumental in convincing President Shaw and the Board of the College to invest in additional land for the future expansion of the college. It is at this time that the campus’ boundaries of Hagadorn and Harrison were put into place. The land between the east and west boundaries would all be obtained only through private negotiation and no methods of condemnation would be used. Throughout Hannah’s time at the college before he became the eleventh president and during his time served as president, 7,000 acres were acquired by the college.
Exhibit created by Kim Toorenaar, November 2012.
Michigan State University Archives and Historical Collections.
Related Objects
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Contact sheet of five pictures of John Hannah, date unknown Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections | 
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Farm Mechanization centennial ribbon cutting, 1955 1955 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections | 
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Hannah and his family posing at the Cowles House, date unknown Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections | 
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Hannah at the groundbreaking of Oakland University, 1958 1958 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections | 
Hannah greets a crowd of students, 1953 January 1953 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections | 
Hannah in front of the Administration Building, date unknown Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
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John A. Hannah meets with Dr. George M. Johnson, 1968 1968 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
John Hannah Observes signing of the Michigan State University Bill, 1955 1955 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections | 
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John Hannah and Ralph Wills with license plates, 1954 1954 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
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John Hannah meets with Pakistani officials, 1961 1961 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections | 
John Hannah participates in a groundbreaking ceremony, date unknown Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
John Hannah shakes Ngo Dinh Diem's hand Date: 1950-1959 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections | 
John Hannah with Nigerian officials, 1959 July 7, 1959 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections | 
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John and Sarah Shaw Hannah wedding portrait, 1938 June 22, 1938 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections | 
MSU President Hannah gives a speech, 1963 May 20, 1963 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
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President Hannah and his family walk in East Lansing, 1945 1945 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections | 
President Hannah at the Unveiling of Sparty, June 9, 1945 June 9, 1945 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
President Hannah is made an honorary member of Excalibur, 1959 January 28, 1959 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections | 
President Hannah presents scholarships to students Date: 1950-1959 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections | 
President Hannah surveys construction of the Library, 1955 February 1955 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
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President Hannah with members of the Nigeria Projects, ca. 1960 Date: 1960-1969 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections | 
President Harry S. Truman, Governor Williams, and John Hannah, 1960 1960 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
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Students meet with President Hannah, 1949 October 17, 1949 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections | 
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The Russian farm delegation and President Hannah, 1955 1955 Image: jpg MSU Archives and Historical Collections |
