The Palace Intrigue at Washington’s Agricultural College
A bitter power struggle ends with the firing of President Lilley, amid allegations of ghost-salaries and cronyism at the state's new college in Pullman.
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President Lilley has dropped, and John Heston, of Seattle, will take charge of the agricultural college. Regent Smith moved that Heston be selected president, citing Lilley’s 'inability and incompetency.' The board’s turmoil centered on accusations that Lilley filled the faculty with South Dakota cronies and manipulated payroll vouchers, claiming salaries for periods before school began. Regent Smith alleged that Lilley bypassed official accounting to pay his friends, at one point claiming Treasurer Conover 'winked' at his failure to record a salary decision, costing the institution hundreds of dollars. The board also moved to terminate the services of Prof. Scobey by December 21, 1892. Heston, formerly the principal of the Seattle high school, was confirmed as the new president.
“This wink cost the institution $600.95.”
This 1892 governance fight at the nascent Washington State University (then the State Agricultural College) highlights the early political volatility of the state's public institutions. The tension between board oversight and academic autonomy remains a perennial theme in Washington's higher education debates today.
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