Notable people · Educator
Horace Mann
Massachusetts education reformer who became the first president of Antioch College in Yellow Springs in 1852 and died there of typhoid in 1859. He is buried in Providence, Rhode Island.
At a glance
- Born
- 1796-05-04
- Died
- 1859-08-02
- Education
- Brown University, Providence, RI, to 1819, BA
- Litchfield Law School, Litchfield, CT, to 1822
- Known as
- Educator
- Organizations
- Antioch College
Life story
Horace Mann grew up in Franklin, Massachusetts, with at most six weeks of schooling a year but heavy use of the town's library. He graduated from Brown in 1819 as valedictorian and studied law.
He served in the Massachusetts legislature and senate, then from 1837 to 1848 as the first secretary of the state's board of education, pushing for common schools. He also served in Congress 1848-1853.
In 1852 he became the first president of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, an early college open to men and women. He led it until he died of typhoid fever in 1859.
A monument at the college carries his motto: be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.
Timeline
- 1796-05-04: Born (Franklin, MA) source
- 1819: Graduated from Brown University (Providence, RI) source
- 1837: Became secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education (Boston, MA) source
- 1843: Toured European schools, especially Prussia (Europe) source
- 1848: Took seat in U.S. House (Washington, DC) source
- 1852: Became president of Antioch College (Yellow Springs, OH) source
- 1859-08-02: Died of typhoid fever (Yellow Springs, OH) source
What Horace is known for
- President of Antioch College 1852-1859
- The Common School Journal (1838)
- Slavery: Letters and Speeches (1851)
- Powers and Duties of Woman (1853)
Honors and things named for them
- 1940 US postage stamp
- Over 50 schools named for him
- Statue at Massachusetts State House (1863)
Family
- spouse: Charlotte Messer Mann
- spouse: Mary Tyler Peabody Mann
- son: Horace Mann Jr.
Places in Ohio to see
- Antioch College (museum)
Yellow Springs, Greene County Yellow Springs · Greene County · official page
Ohio places
Where Horace Mann was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Worked: Yellow Springs, Greene County (Antioch College, One Morgan Place) ZIP 45387 · Yellow Springs · Greene County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. High: the main facts were confirmed in sources we opened.
- Wikipedia: Horace Mann dates, presidency, burial
- Antioch College history campus address One Morgan Place, 45387