Biography of John Franklin

John Franklin Goucher was born on June 7, 1845 to John and Eleanor Townsend Goucher in southwestern Pennsylvania.  Goucher was raised outside of Pittsburgh in a family of devoted Methodists and attended Dickinson College, which he graduated from in 1868.  Following graduation, Goucher joined the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church serving in the Baltimore Conference.  He served as pastor of the Baltimore Circuit, 1869-71; Catonsville Church, 1872-74; Huntingdon Avenue Church, 1875-77; Gilmor Street Church, 1876-80; Strawbridge Church, 1881-82; and the First Methodist Episcopal Church, 1883-1891.  In addition to his ministry in the Baltimore area, Dr. Goucher focused on missionary work, serving on the Board of Foreign Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church and financing much of their mission work in Asia.  The first year of his ministry, Goucher met Mary Cecilia Fisher, who after an eight year courtship, he married on December 24, 1877. 

Mary Cecilia Fisher was born March 22, 1850 in Cecil County Maryland. She spent the majority of her childhood on the family estate, Alto Dale, near Pikesville in Baltimore County, where her father practiced medicine. One of her uncles was also a well known Baltimore physician and another uncle was a successful merchant in Baltimore City. Being a woman, her educational opportunities were limited; however, her father believed in education for women, and he arranged for her as much education as was possible at that time. Mary never attended college, yet she was well educated and also fluent in French. In 1868, she joined the Methodist Episcopal Church and became very involved in the activities and programs of the Church. That same year, she met the young minister, Dr. John Franklin Goucher. After an eight year courtship, they were married on December 24, 1877. A happy couple, the Gouchers had five children, although only three survived to adulthood.

Together with John, Mary shared a strong belief in higher education for women and world mission programs. She worked tirelessly on many causes and funded many projects. The Gouchers aided in founding Morgan State University, a historically black college located in Baltimore, Maryland. The Gouchers also helped found several schools throughout Asia, China, and India.

In 1883, Dr. Goucher, at this time minister of the First Methodist Episcopal Church, was involved in the efforts of Baltimore Conference to form an educational institution to commemorate the centennial of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  His donation of land for the intent of a woman’s college or seminary directed the focus of the Conference to creating a woman’s college.  Dr. Goucher was instrumental in founding the Woman’s College of Baltimore City in 1885.  Together the Gouchers worked to ensure the young college would survive, and they gave generously, providing a majority of the funding for the first building for the college, named in their honor.  Dr. Goucher refused the nomination to serve as the first president of the College, instead choosing to remain in the ministry and focus his work on missionary efforts. 

In 1890, when the College’s first president resigned, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to elect Dr. Goucher as president without first nominating him. This time Goucher agreed and became president in 1891. Dr. Goucher continued to give generously to the College during his tenure, often forgoing his salary to balance the budget. In 1906, he deeded his house to the institution. A great deal of Dr. Goucher’s administration focused on fundraising and increasing publicity and support for the young college around the country and especially within the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Dr. Goucher resigned from the Presidency in 1908. At that time, the College had a strong academic foundation, had increased the size of the faculty, student body, alumnae, and campus. Dr. Goucher was instrumental in shaping and defining the Woman’s College of Baltimore. Following his resignation, Dr. Goucher remained on the Board of Trustees until his death in 1922. In 1910, the College bestowed the highest honor upon Dr. and Mrs. Goucher when they changed the institution’s name to Goucher College.