John Swett
| John Swett | |
|---|---|
| 4th California State Superintendent of Public Instruction | |
|
In office January 2, 1863 – December 2, 1867 |
|
| Preceded by | Andrew J. Moulder |
| Succeeded by | Oscar Penn Fitzgerald |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 31, 1830 Pittsfield, New Hampshire |
| Died | August 22, 1913 (aged 83) Alhambra Valley, CA |
| Political party | National Union Party(Republican) |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Louise Tracy (b.12/8/1839, Thompson Ct - ?) |
| Children | Emelie Tracy Y. Swett Parkhurst (Mar 9 1863), William Russell Swett (Oct 1 1868), Frank Tracy Swett (Nov 22 1869), Walter Harper Swett (July 20, 1870), Nellie Swett (Apr 7 1875), Helen Swett (Apr 7 1875), and John French Swett (Aug 1 1879) |
| Parents | Lucretia (b. French) Swett, Eben Swett |
| Profession | Politician, Teacher, Principal |
John Swett (July 31, 1830 – August 22, 1913) is considered to be the "Father of the California public school" system and the "Horace Mann of the Pacific".
John Swett was an only child born July 31, 1830 in Pittsfield, New Hampshire, to Lucretia (born French) Swett and Eben Swett, who were Congregationalists. He died August 22, 1913 in Alhambra Valley, near Martinez, California. He married Mary Louise (Tracy) Swett on May 8, 1862 in Sonoma, and they had 8 children. During his life he was a close friend of Sierra Club co-founder John Muir. Swett arrived in California in 1853 to mine gold but quickly sought work as a teacher in San Francisco. In 1862 he became a Freemason, joining San Francisco's Phoenix Lodge No. 144.
In 1863 he was instrumental in founding the California Educational Society, which would become the California Teachers Association, the largest teachers' union in the state of California. Running in 1863, during the Civil War, as a National Union Party (Republican) candidate he was elected California State Superintendent of Public Instruction and served until 1867. Other positions he held were Deputy Superintendent of the San Francisco Public Schools (1870–1873), Principal of the Denman School (1873–1876) and the Girls' High School (1876–1889), and Superintendent of the San Francisco Public Schools (1890–1895). In 1895 he retired to his estate, Hill Girt Ranch.
His most important accomplishment was making the California school system free for all students. In his report for 1866-67, he stated: "The school year ending June 30, 1867, marks the transition period of California from rate-bill common schools to an American free school system. For the first time in the history of the State, every public school was made entirely free for every child to enter."
...
Wikipedia