Harry Bidwell Ansted

Born in Temperance, Michigan, Ansted attended Hillsdale College and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Greenville College. In 1923, he earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of Southern California.^[1]

He then became a Christian pastor and served in several churches in Michigan for five years. He went on to teach in Wessington Springs College, Los Angeles Pacific College, and Seattle Pacific College.^[2]

In 1944, near the end of the World War II, Ansted enlisted in the United States Army as an Army chaplain. After his service in Leyte, Philippines, he was transferred to Korea, a part of the United States Army Military Government in Korea. It was here, in 1946, that he became the first president of Seoul National University, a new national university established in place of Keijō Imperial University.^[3] He also created the official motto of the school, Veritas Lux Mea. Ansted was succeeded by Lee Choon-ho on October 24, 1947.^[1]

He was a member of the American Economic Association, the American History Society, and the Royal Economics Society.