Hu Shih was a leading intellectual, an educational reformer who advocated for mass literacy, and a cultural critic and poet who argued that vernacular Chinese, rather than classical styles, should be used in Chinese literature. He also worked as a diplomat, serving as the Republic of China’s Ambassador to the United States (1938-1942). In 1946, he became the first Chinese Chairman of PUMC's Board of Trustees, a post he held until 1949.