Horace Mann

For the school also called "Horace Mann", see Horace Mann School. For other people, see Horace Mann (disambiguation).

Horace Mann
Horace Mann circa 1851
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Massachusetts's 8th district
In office
April 3, 1848 – March 3, 1853
Preceded byJohn Quincy Adams
Succeeded byTappan Wentworth
1st Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education
In office
1837–1848
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byBarnas Sears
Personal details
Born(1796-05-04)May 4, 1796
Franklin, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedAugust 2, 1859(1859-08-02) (aged 63)
Yellow Springs, Ohio, U.S.
Resting placeNorth Burial Ground,
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Political partyWhig
Spouses
  • Charlotte Messer Mann (d. 1832)
  • Mary Peabody Mann
Children3
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Lawyer
  • Educator
  • College president
Signature

Horace Mann (May 4, 1796 – August 2, 1859) was an American educational reformer, slavery abolitionist and Whig politician known for his commitment to promoting public education, he is thus also known as The Father of American Education.[1] In 1848, after public service as Secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education, Mann was elected to the United States House of Representatives (1848–1853). From September 1852 to his death in 1859, he served as President of Antioch College.

Arguing that universal public education was the best way to turn unruly American children into disciplined, judicious republican citizens, Mann won widespread approval from modernizers, especially in the Whig Party, for building public schools. Most U.S. states adopted a version of the system Mann established in Massachusetts, especially the program for normal schools to train professional teachers.[2] Educational historians credit Horace Mann, along with Henry Barnard and Catharine Beecher, as one of the major advocates of the Common School Movement.[3]

  1. ^ Carleton, David (2009). "Horace Mann".
  2. ^ Groen, Mark (Spring–Summer 2008). "The Whig Party and the Rise of Common Schools, 1837–1854". American Educational History Journal. 35 (1/2): 251–260.
  3. ^ Good, Thomas L. (2008). 21st century education: a reference handbook. p. 267.