Harvey Marion LaFollette

Harvey Marion LaFollette (September 8, 1858 - September 20, 1929) was an Indiana teacher and educator who, as a young man, served two terms as Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction. He then moved to Tennessee where he established the town of LaFollette, Tennessee. His company, LaFollette Coal, Iron and Railway Company, would eventually employ more than 1500 people and was the largest blast furnace in the South.

Harvey M. LaFollette was born in Primrose, Wisconsin. His first cousin, Robert Marion La Follette, Sr., was three years old at the time and living on the adjoining farm. Harvey's father (also named Harvey M. LaFollette) was a farmer and served in local government both as sheriff and commissioner. When Harvey was two years old, his family relocated to join relatives in Thorntown, Indiana. Harvey's brother, William La Follette, was born shortly after they arrived in Indiana. When he was seven years old, his father was killed in an industrial accident while working on a piece of machinery in the flour mill he owned.

Young Harvey was always an avid reader, and after studying at the nearby Friends School and a short stint at Wabash College he left for France, the land of his Huguenot ancestors, to continue his education. He studied in Paris at several institutions focusing on languages and civil engineering. He left Paris, travelling on foot and staying with peasant families to better understand the local dialects. He took additional courses in Germany and in Italy. He returned to Indiana in 1880 a well-educated and travelled young man. He spoke five languages fluently.

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