Arthur Burton Cordley joined the faculty of Oregon Agricultural College in 1895 as a Professor of Zoology and Entomology. He became the first Dean of the School of Agriculture in 1908, a position he held until his retirement in 1931. Cordley worked as an entomologist at Michigan Agricultural College, the Vermont Experiment Station, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture before moving to Oregon.
Nathan Fasten was born in Austria on December 4, 1887. He grew up in New York City, and graduated from the College of the City of New York in 1910 with a bachelor of science in chemical biology. Fasten studied at the University of Wisconsin as a graduate student from 1911 to 1914, earning a Ph.D. in 1914. Fasten came to Oregon Agricultural College in 1920 as an associate professor of zoology and physiology. The next year he was promoted to professor and department head; he served in that capacity until his resignation from Oregon State College in 1944. He later worked as Chief Scientist for the Washington State Water Pollution Commission in Seattle. Fasten authored many journal articles and books. He was a fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Fasten died in Seattle on September 19, 1953.
Hector MacPherson, Sr. (1875-1970) taught Economics and Sociology at OAC from 1911 to 1926. Later, as an Oregon legislator, he co-sponsored the School Moving Bill, a failed proposal that advocated for the consolidation of OAC and the University of Oregon, and the relocation of other state-funded schools. MacPherson was the father of Hector MacPherson, Jr., a farmer and state legislator known for his major impact on land use law in Oregon.