Born in Garnavillo, Iowa, in 1879, Irving Maurer graduated from Beloit College in 1904 and received his D.D. in 1909 from Yale. He was ordained as a congregational minister in 1908 and pastored until being called back to his alma mater.

In 1924 Mr. Maurer became Beloit College’s fourth president and continued in that position until his death in 1942. While in that position he became a respected administrator, civic leader and educator, and was involved in many activities. He was a member of the board of directors of the Chicago Theological Seminary, former president of the Urban League of Columbus, member of the board of directors of the International Society for Crippled Children, ex-president of the Wisconsin Association for the Disabled, member of the Association of American Colleges, and the former president of the North Central Association of Colleges. He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Delta Sigma Rho (Beloit College), Phi Kappa Epsilon (Yale), the Faculty and Alumni Club and Kiwanis.