Barnard, Henry

Barnard, Henry

(1811–1900) educator; born in Hartford, Conn. Raised by his prosperous farmer-father, he went to Yale (B.A. 1830) where he came to feel strongly about the need for education of all classes of Americans. He taught at an academy for a year after graduation, then read law and was admitted to the bar (1835); from 1835–36 he traveled in Europe where he met many prominent individuals. Serving in the Connecticut legislature (1837–39), he set up a board to supervise the common schools of the state and then ended up heading the board; during four years he greatly upgraded the public schools attended by the state's poor. Between 1843–49 he was hired by Rhode Island and effected much the same kind of reforms. By now he was known throughout most of the United States for his advanced views on public education and was much in demand as a speaker. In 1849 he returned to Connecticut to head a new teachers training school and serve as superintendent of the state's public schools. His writings were spreading his views and in 1855 he founded the American Journal of Education; as publisher and editor until 1882, he greatly helped to improve public education throughout the United States. Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin (1858–60) and president of St. John's College (Annapolis, Md.) (1866–67), he went on to be the first United States commissioner of education (1867–70). Along with Horace Mann, he earned his status as the foundation-layer of modern public education in America.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.