10 Mar. 1870–27 Dec. 1957
In the latter year Raper returned to North Carolina and began a successful academic career at The University of North Carolina, serving first as associate professor of economics and history (1901–6), then professor of economics (1906–20). He also headed the economics department at one time and served as dean of the Graduate School (1909–20). In 1920 he moved to Syracuse University, serving first as professor of transportation, then as dean of business administration (1921–43), and subsequently as vice-chancellor of the university (1936–42). A noted authority on taxation and transportation, Raper was a member of the New York State Planning Council (1934–41) and administrator for the War Transportation Commission for Syracuse and Onondaga County (1942–45), formulating numerous reports on industrial trends and taxation for both the state and national governments. He was known particularly for his strong opposition to the St. Lawrence Seaway development and criticism of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Raper also served on the New York Council against Discrimination in Employment (1946–57).
An outstanding scholar and writer, he was the author of many articles and books, including The Church and Private Schools of North Carolina (1898); A Study in English Colonial Government (1904), the first definitive study of the provincial government in North Carolina; Principles of Wealth and Welfare (1906); and Railway Transportation (1912). He received honorary degrees from Lenoir-Rhyne (1917), Duke University (1939), and Syracuse University (1944).
In 1904 Raper married Henrietta Frost Williams, of Paterson, N.J., who predeceased him. Both were buried in Syracuse, N.Y. They were the parents of a daughter, Mary Lee (Mrs. Kenneth S. Graves).