From government office to party organization
Born into a Saga retainer family, Ōkuma entered foreign-affairs and financial administration after the Meiji Restoration. He became a councillor in 1870 and headed the Finance Ministry in 1873. Following the dispute over a proposed expedition to Korea, he remained responsible for finance and supported Ōkubo Toshimichi.
The political crisis of 1881 removed him from government. In 1882 he organized the Constitutional Reform Party and founded Tokyo Senmon Gakkō. He subsequently returned as foreign minister under Itō Hirobumi and Kuroda Kiyotaka, working on treaty revision, and held foreign affairs and agriculture and commerce portfolios under Matsukata Masayoshi.
References: [1]
Two premierships and the problems of party coalition
In June 1898, Ōkuma’s Progressive Party joined Itagaki Taisuke’s Liberal Party to form the Constitutional Party, Kenseitō. The resulting Ōkuma–Itagaki cabinet divided ministerial posts between the two groups. Waseda preserves Ōkuma’s appointment as prime minister and foreign minister dated 30 June. Party conflict produced a split in October and the cabinet resigned in November.
Ōkuma later led Kensei Hontō, resigned its leadership in 1907 and announced his political retirement. He returned to form a second cabinet in April 1914, this time combining the premiership with the home affairs portfolio. The two surviving appointment documents identify the different offices he held in these administrations.
Developing Waseda as a comprehensive university
In 1907 Ōkuma became Waseda’s first president-general and took an active role in management and fundraising. Although the school had adopted the university name in 1902, it still lacked legal university status. Earlier science and civil-engineering courses had closed after difficulties attracting teachers and students.
A development plan drawn up in 1908 funded new facilities and revived technical education. Mechanical and electrical engineering opened in 1909, followed by mining and architecture in 1910. Ōkuma emphasized experiment and making things in appeals to alumni. At the thirtieth-anniversary celebration in 1913, he announced the university mission concerning independent scholarship, its practical application and the formation of exemplary citizens.
References: [2]