John W. Studebaker
| John Studebaker | |
|---|---|
Truman greets Voice of Democracy winners with Studebaker on the far left, 1947
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| United States Commissioner of Education | |
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In office July 1, 1934 – July 15, 1948 |
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| President |
Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman |
| Preceded by | Fred Zook |
| Succeeded by | Earl McGrath |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 10, 1887 McGregor, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | July 26, 1989 (aged 102) Walnut Creek, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
Coe College Columbia University |
John Ward Studebaker (June 10, 1887 – July 26, 1989) served as U.S. Commissioner of Education from 1934 to 1948. He was also Chairman of the U.S. Radio Education Committee. His was the longest tenure of any education commissioner, and he devoted much of his time to children's literacy and arithmetic.
Studebaker was born in Iowa and grew up in McGregor, Iowa. Although he was small in stature and had lost his right eye in an accident at the age of 12, he was a "star all-round high school and college athlete" who was the quarterback of his high school and college football teams, as well as playing baseball and basketball in college. He attended Leander Clark College in Toledo, Iowa, paying his way through school by working as a bricklayer.
After college, he served as principal of a public school, and in 1914 became assistant superintendent of schools in Des Moines, Iowa. During World War I he took a leave of absence from that position to become national director of the Junior Red Cross and to undertake graduate study at Columbia University, where he was awarded a master's degree in 1920. Returning to Des Moines, in 1920 he became the city's school superintendent. As superintendent, he started special education programs for children with disabilities and "slow learners."
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