The Baylor family mourned on March 20, 1901, when Professor John S. Tanner died at age 31.
Tanner had joined the faculty in 1896 to direct studies in Greek, Hebrew, the life of Jesus and the acts of the apostles. President Oscar Cooper also gave him charge of the Department of Philosophy, and just four months before his death Tanner had been the guiding hand behind the establishment of Baylor’s first formal organization for foreign missionaries.
In its March 23, 1901, edition, the Lariat said of Professor Tanner, “He will continue to live in the lives of his students till their latest hour, to inspire them with lofty purposes, strengthen them for the conflicts of life, increase their love for a fallen race, and intensify their zeal for the glory of God.”
According to the 1901 Baylor Bulletin, had it not been for Tanner’s untimely death, he would likely have been chosen as Baylor’s next president.
SOURCES: Baylor Lariat March 23, 1901, and March 30, 1901