Walter Vrooman

Walter Vrooman
Born1869
Macon, Missouri
Died2 December, 1909
OccupationEducator

Walter Watkins Vrooman (1869 – 2 December, 1909) was an American socialist educationalist who co-founded Ruskin College in Oxford with Charles A. Beard in 1899.[1] He then returned to America, where he set up a second Ruskin College in Trenton, Missouri.[2]

Walter was the son of Judge Hiram Perkins Vrooman and Sarah Buffington. Carl Schurz Vrooman was his younger brother. The family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where another brother, Hiram Greeley Vrooman, joined the Associate Reformed Church and became a preacher. He also founded the Union for Public Good in conjunction with B. O. Flower.[3]

Amne Grafflin was attracted to the Union for Public Good and accepted the position of secretary. She was the heiress to George W. Grafflin, who was a dry goods and fertilizer merchant. Shortly after her father died, Amne married Walter in February 1897.[4]

  1. ^ "Ruskin College". Spartacus Educational. Spartacus Educational Publishers Ltd. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  2. ^ Buehler, Michael (29 August 2019). "Walter Vrooman promotes Concrete Socialism". Boston Rare Maps. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  3. ^ Felt, Jeremy P.; Paulson, Ross E. (December 1968). "Radicalism & Reform: The Vrooman Family and American Social Thought, 1837–1937". The Journal of American History. 55 (3): 645. doi:10.2307/1891042. JSTOR 1891042.
  4. ^ Sullivan, Kelly (21 August 2019). "Before fall, outspoken socialist made local stop". Johnston Sun Rise. Beacon Communications. Retrieved 19 May 2021.