November 28, 1921 - March 17, 1992

Paul N. Ylvisaker was born on November 28, 1921, in St. Paul, Minnesota. His parents were Sigurd C. Ylvisaker, a professor at Concordia College in St. Paul, and Norma (Norem) Ylvisaker. By the time of his birth, involvement had already become a tradition in the Ylvisaker family. Paul's grandfather, Johannes Ylvisaker, had distinguished himself as a New Testament scholar and professor at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. A few years before, his father, Sigurd, had earned a doctorate in Semitic Studies at the University of Leipzig, after which he taught for five years at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

In 1930,the Ylvisaker family moved to Mankato where Dr. Ylvisaker became president of Bethany Lutheran College. Paul attended Immanuel Lutheran Elementary School, Bethany Lutheran High School, and Bethany Lutheran College. From Bethany he went on to earn a bachelor's degree at Mankato State Teachers College in 1942. He then taught at Bethany and also took some graduate courses at the University of Minnesota. From Minnesota he moved on to Harvard, where in 1945 he earned a master's degree in Public Administration and, in 1948, a doctorate in Political Economy and Government. He was a Fulbright scholar. He taught at Swarthmore, Princeton, Yale, and Harvard, serving as Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education from 1972 to 1982.

For thirteen years Paul served as director of the Ford Foundation's public affairs program where his reputation as an advocate for community and urban issues was made. In 1966 he was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to chair the Task Force on the Cities. As the first Commissioner of Community Affairs for the State of New Jersey, Paul set the direction of that state's urban policies. In New Jersey his commitment to personal and public responsibility in government was strongly reflected in his successful efforts to quell the 1967 riots in Newark and Plainfield, New Jersey. After his tenure as Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ylvisaker continued to teach in the School of Education and also served as a senior consultant to the Council of Foundations.

Between 1967 and 1982 Paul was awarded ten honorary degrees. He held several government positions and served on the boards of several foundations, finally serving as Senior Consultant to the Council on Foundations, Washington, D.C.

Paul Ylvisaker was married to Barbara Ewing, who passed away in 1991. They had four children: Elizabeth, Mark, Peter, and David.