Text: Anonymous, “Poe Favorite Now for Hall of Fame,” New York Times (New York, NY), vol. LIX, whole no. 19,012 February 12, 1910, p. 8, col. 7

[page 8, column 7:]

The old fight to place the name of Edgar Allan Poe in the New York University's Hall of Fame will be renewed with vigor, and those who labored so hard for that end and failed five years ago believe now that they will be successful. When the one hundred electors chosen by the Senate of New York University to vote for candidates for the Hall of Fame sent in their ballots in 1905 it was found that in spite of the energetic campaign in behalf of Poe he lacked nine votes.

Since that there have been sixteen vacancies through death or otherwise in the Board of Electors. Two of those vacancies, one occasioned by the death of Grover Cleveland and the other by the death of Edmund Clarence Stedman, were filled several months ago, Andrew Carnegie succeeded Mr. Cleveland and Dr. Abbott Lawrence Lowell succeeded Mr. Stedman, And yesterday the Senate met in the New York University Building on Washington Square and filled the other vacancies, Although the names of those elected yesterday will not be made public until the Senate has received acceptances, it is understood that several of them are great admirers of Poe.

According to the rules of the University Senate, nominations of candidates for the Hall of Fame will be placed in the hands of the electors on May 1, and during the Summer months the electors will decide upon their choice of candidates. The ballots will be in on Oct. 1 next. At least fifty nominations have already been received by the University Senate, most of these being names which were voted on by the electors in 1005, but who failed to get the required majority of votes. A hundred or more nominations will probably be added to these before May 1, when the electors will begin their work. One of the first societies which will be in the field in behalf of Poe will be the Bronx Society of Arts and Sciences. The members of this society believe that Poe was the greatest author America ever produced. Last year the society played an important part in the Poe centennial observance. Other organizations here and in the South will also seek to influence the electors favorably toward Poe.

There are at present nine vacancies for women in the Hall of Fame. The vacancies for American-born men number twenty-six and foreign-born men four.

Following yesterday's meeting Chancel1or MacCracken issued a statement, which said in part:

Deceased members to whom successors were elected yesterday are Prof. George P. Fisher of New Haven, Richard Watson Gilder York, Edward Everett Hale of Massachusetts. Dr. George E. Post Beirut. Syrie; Prof. Edward G. Bourne of New Haven, and Dr. Simon Newcomb of the Smithsonian at Washington.

Two noted women whose names were indorsed yesterday as candidates for the Hall of Fame were Harriet Beecher Stowe and Miss Frances Willard.

What may be construed as instructions to the Board of Electors are contained in this statement given out by the Senate after the meeting:

The fact is overlooked by many that the 100 electors are not to name men who ought to be famous, but they are first to. make up a roll, each for himself, of Americans who are already famous in the accepted sense of famous.

“The Senate, in submitting nominations, does not assert that any name submitted is famous, but leaves this point to the electors, who must determine, each for himself, what name is much talked of over the continent for great achievements.

“The Hall of Fame is intended simply to record the general judgment of intelligent Americans at the present time. It does not try to anticipate the judgment of the year 2000. Still less does it try, as a few mistakenly sincere writers charge against it, to usurp an office that is reserved for heaven and the day of final judgment.”