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While for more than half a century his labors and activities as an educator have been identified with the institution of higher learning at Provo known as Brigham Young University, Doctor Brimhall’s influence as a great teacher and humanitarian is essentially more than state-wide. His life has been a long record of constructive service and his many honors have sat lightly on him and without diverting his attention for a moment from the letter and spirit of the service to which he dedicated his life at its beginning.
Doctor Brimhall was born at Salt Lake City, December 9, 1852, and as this date indicates, was a member of a family of Utah pioneers. His father, George Washington Brimhall, was born November 14, 1814, and came to Utah with the early pioneers. The mother of Doctor Brimhall was Rachel Ann Mayer, who was born in Indiana, February 9, 1829. Doctor Brimhall has always credited his parents with an important part in his career. His father was a man of intellect, a master mechanic by trade, always interested in public affairs and in his church, and was a member of the early Iron County. Doctor Brimhall resembles his mother in physical features and mental endowments, and her constant encouragement during his early struggle for an education fortified his resolution and inspired him to reach the worthy goal of his ambition. His first schooling was in a private school of Ogden. Later he attended public schools in Salt Lake City, at Cedar Fort in the Dixie country, and while accumulating knowledge from books and schools he was getting experience by manual labor in the harvest fields, in logging and hauling timber, in freighting to mining camps, and both in youth and in mature years has always drunk deeply of the pastimes and activities of the out-of-doors, fishing and hunting, mountain climbing and travel both at home and abroad. He was on of forty-two youths who at Spanish Fork combined their labors and brought together the logs which they built into a structure in October, 1872, which was one of the first high schools of the state and was given the name of Young Men’s Academy. Doctor Brimhall was one of its students and also became an instructor, and while there worked out a system of school grading. Even at that age he exhibited the spirit and zeal of the real educator and was encouraged to make that his life work. He attended the Timpanogos University, an institution of secondary grade, at Provo and returned to Spanish Fork to teach. In 1875 he entered the Brigham Young Academy, meeting his expenses by work as a janitor and by outside jobs on holidays and vacations. He was given a normal diploma in 1877, and then became principal of schools at Spanish Fork and later also performed the duties of county superintendent of Utah County. He returned to Provo as superintendent of schools and again held the additional position of county superintendent.
From these positions he was called to the Brigham Young Academy, at first as a teacher in the preparatory department, at a salary of twenty dollars a month. Later he took charge of the normal training school, also directed the high school department, and during the presidency of Benjamin Cluff, Jr., was advanced to the chair of psychology and pedagogy. In 1900 he was made acting president of Brigham Young University and on January 3, 1904, was made president. He held that office for eighteen years, and in 1921 was given the honorary title of president emeritus and director of theology.
He received the degree Bachelor of Pedagogy from Brigham Young Academy in 1893 and in 1898 the Latter Day Saints Board of education conferred upon him the degree Director of Science and Didactic. Doctor Brimhall was president of the Utah State Teachers Association in 1897-98, is a life member of the National Education Association, and has long been prominent in his church, acting as state superintendent of Sunday Schools, as a member of the Latter Day Saints General Board of Education, General Board of Examine, General Board of Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association. He is a Republican in politics and in 1896 was candidate for the State Senate.
Doctor Brimhall married in 1874 Alsina Wilkins and the children of this union were Lucy J., Alsina E., George W., Mark H.,, Wells L., and Milton H. (deceased). In 1885 Doctor Brimhall married Flora Robertson and the children of the second marriage and Dean R., Fay R., Fawn R., Burns R., Ruth Afton, Paul R., Alta R. (deceased), Golden H. and Areo.
Speaking of his great work as an educator, a writer in the Utah Educational Review a few years ago said: “As a teacher he was strict in discipline, original and resourceful in illustration, skillful in catechization, immediate in response, and practical in application. There were few vacant seats in his classes. As an executive he was a builder and organizer. Under his direction the university experienced a period of unusual growth.”