Edward William Strong (October 16, 1901 - January 13, 1990)^[1][2] was the Chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley between 1961 and 1965.^[3] He resigned in March 1965, in large part due to his actions during the Free Speech Movement, which was beginning at that time.^[3] Besides his role as chancellor, Strong founded UC Berkeley's Department of Sociology and Social Institutions in 1946, chaired it until 1953, as well as in another of other campus roles.^[3]

Edward Strong graduated from Stanford University in 1925, and went on to receive a master's and doctorate in philosophy from Columbia University in 1929 and 1937, respectively.^[3]

Edward Strong first joined the faculty at UC Berkeley in 1932 as a lecturer, before being promoted to full professor in 1947.^[3] He founded Berkeley's Department of Sociology and Social Institutions in 1946, and chaired it until 1953.^[3] Strong also served for most of this period as an associate dean of the College of Letters and Science.^[3] He was appointed a Vice-Chancellor in 1958, and became Chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley, a role he served between 1961 and 1965.^[3] While Strong was Chancellor, he helped contribute to the establishment of Berkeley's Department of Computer Science.^[3] He resigned in March 1965, in large part due to his actions during the Free Speech Movement, which was beginning at that time.^[3] After his resignation as Chancellor, Strong was appointed to the Mills Professorship of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy and Civil Polity, where he taught until 1967, when he retired.^[3] Besides for his academic work, Strong was once president of the American Philosophical Association, and was the primary founder of the Journal of the History of Philosophy.^[3] He was also instrumental in the construction of the Radiation Laboratory on Charter Hill, which morphed in to the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, which later participated in significant research into nuclear weapons.^[3]

Strong's tenure as Chancellor at Berkeley was marked by strife related to the free speech movement, leading to his resignation in March 1965.^[3] When Strong resigned he issued a statement blaming Clark Kerr (who would be dismissed by the Board of Regents in January 1967) for "capitulating to the tide of revolt, subversive of law and order."^[4] While acting as Chancellor, Strong favored harsh disciplinary policies, and was upset that Clark Kerr had made certain concessions to the "student rebels" involved in the Free Speech Movement.^[4]

Strong's actions during the Free Speech Movement were harshly criticized by some students and faculty members for the approach he took to free speech activity on campus.^[5]