Horace Mann
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. 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.
Horace Mann | |
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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 by | John Quincy Adams |
| Succeeded by | Tappan Wentworth |
| 1st Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education | |
| In office 1837–1848 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Barnas Sears |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 4, 1796 Franklin, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | August 2, 1859 (aged 63) Yellow Springs, Ohio, U.S. |
| Resting place | North Burial Ground, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Political party | Whig |
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| Children | 3 |
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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. Educational historians credit Horace Mann, along with Henry Barnard and Catharine Beecher, as one of the major advocates of the Common School Movement.