Dr. James Fisher, Jr., was born on March 29, 1873, in Quincy Township to James and Sarah (McLeod) Fisher. In 1893, he completed the first of his three degrees at the Michigan Mining School and sought employment briefly at Hodge Iron Works in Ripley, Michigan. In 1895, however, Fisher returned to his alma mater as an instructor in mathematics and physics. He would remain in this occupation for the rest of his life, eventually rising through the ranks to department head and serving as the Dean of Faculty from 1936 to 1946.

Fisher’s dedication to his employer--subsequently renamed the Michigan College of Mines and the Michigan College of Mining and Technology--was legendary, leading him to be dubbed “Mr. Michigan Tech.” State law at the time required that he retire in 1945, and Fisher complied in name only. He taught for an additional year, acted as the Director of Adult Education, and continued his work as dean, all without payment. In addition to his professorial duties, Fisher also took a deep interest in the alumni activities and promotion of college, taking leading roles in the Alumni Association and the Michigan Tech Foundation. For his tireless service, as well as his cutting-edge research in geophysics and X-radiation, he was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1953.

Beyond his professional work, Fisher’s interests included the physics of music, Copper Country history, and the Ojibwa language, and he offered lectures in the community on historical topics. He married Helen Richards in Franklin Township on August 24, 1899. The couple had five children: Helen, Laura, an unnamed premature son, Frank, and Katherine. Helen Richards Fisher passed away in 1950, and James followed in 1962. He was buried in Houghton’s Forest Hill Cemetery, not far from the college to which he had devoted his life. In 1964, the newly-constructed mathematics and physics building at Michigan Tech was named Fisher Hall in his honor.