William Righter Fisher (1849-1932)

William Righter Fisher (1849-1932)

William Righter Fisher was born on June 27, 1849 in Bryn Mawr, Lower Merion County, Pennsylvania. He was educated at Hasting's Academy in Philadelphia and in 1867, he entered Dickinson College and he received his bachelor of arts degree three years later. Upon graduation, he taught natural science for one year at the Dickinson Seminary in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. From 1871 to 1874 he studied in Germany at the University of Heidelburg and the University of Munich.

In 1874, Fisher returned to his alma mater and served as the professor of modern languages until 1876, when he was admitted to the Philadelphia Bar Association. Fisher then left Dickinson to practice law in Philadelphia. He was a member of the Franklin Institute, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and the National Geographical Society. He also speculated in real estate in the Northwest Territory.

On January 4, 1876, Fisher married Mary Wager and they had a son, Wager, in 1877. Mary was an amateur author and some of her stories were published in The Rural New Yorker. William Righter Fisher died in Bryn Mawr on February 17, 1932, the last surviving graduate of the class of 1870.

Author of Post: 
Dickinson College Archives
Date of Post: 
2005
College Relationship: 
Alumnus/Alumna Class Year: 
Faculty - Years of Service: 
1874-1876