Alfred Bayliss (March 22, 1847 – August 26, 1911) was an English American educator from Gloucestershire. Orphaned shortly after his family emigrated to the United States, Bayliss worked his way into

Hillsdale College Hillsdale College is a Private university, private Conservatism in the United States, conservative Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan. It was founded in 1844 by Abolitionism, abolitionists known as Free Will Baptists. Its missio ...

in Michigan. After a two-year break to fight in the Civil War, Bayliss graduated in 1870 and first oversaw schools in Indiana. He then came to Streator, Illinois to lead a school district, becoming superintendent of a high school in 1896. In 1898, Bayliss was elected

Illinois Superintendent of Public Instruction The Illinois State Superintendent of Education, often shortened to State Superintendent, is a statewide government office in the U.S. state of Illinois. The State Superintendent is nominated by the Governor of Illinois and serves at the pleasure o ...

. He later served as the second president of the

Western Illinois State Normal School Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. History Western Illin ...

before falling to his death from a horse.

Biography

Alfred Bayliss was born in

Bledington Bledington is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, about four miles southeast of Stow-on-the-Wold and six miles southwest of Chipping Norton. The population of the civil parish in 2014 was estimated to ...

, England on March 22, 1847. He emigrated to the United States with his family when he was a child, settling in Hillsdale, Michigan. Bayliss was orphaned when he was twelve. When he was fifteen or sixteen, he matriculated at

. However, he withdrew in 1863 to enlist in the

11th Michigan Volunteer Cavalry Regiment The 11th Michigan Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 11th Michigan Cavalry was organized at Kalamazoo and Detroit, Michigan October 10 and December 10, 1863. Among its ...

for the Civil War. He returned to college after the war, graduating in 1870. Bayliss' first position out of college was superintendent of schools in LaGrange County, Indiana. In 1874, he took a position as superintendent of school district #3 in Sterling, Illinois. Bayliss spent the next twenty years in the district. He then ran for

as a Republican, but was defeated in the primary by

Samuel Inglis Samuel M. Inglis a nineteenth century American educator. He played significant roles in the development of education in Illinois, including that of Illinois Superintendent of Public Instruction. With this position, he was an ex-officio member of s ...

. Bayliss assumed the editorship of the ''Streator Standard'', then served in the role of first assistant clerk of the 39th Illinois General Assembly. Bayliss also edited '' The Child-Study Monthly'' periodical. In 1896, he was named Superintendent of

Streator Township High School Streator Township High School, also known as Streator High School (SHS), is a high school located in Streator, Illinois, approximately 90 miles southwest of Chicago. History The school is named after its city's namesake, Worthy S. Streator. The ...

. He ran for the state superintendent again in 1898 and was elected. He served two consecutive four-year terms. Bayliss advocated for free high school education, although the state legislature did not adopt the idea. In 1906, Bayliss became the second President of the

, a role he held until his death. Bayliss served as the president of the Northern Illinois Teachers' Association and vice president of the Illinois State Teachers Association. He was also a member of the State Committee on Educational Progress. In Streator, he served on the city council, commanded the Grand Army of the Republic chapter, and was once the chairman of the

LaSalle County LaSalle County is located within the Fox Valley and Illinois River Valley regions of the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 Census, it had a population of 109,658. Its county seat and largest city is Ottawa. LaSalle County is part of the O ...

Republican Party. He married Clara Marie Kern, who became a social activist and author, in 1871; they had two daughters. On August 26, 1911, Bayliss died from injuries he sustained eleven days earlier after falling from a horse in

Woodbine, Iowa Woodbine is a city in Harrison County, Iowa, United States, along the Boyer River. The population was 1,625 at the time of the 2020 census. History Woodbine was platted 1866 at the time the Chicago and North Western Railway was built through th ...

. He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Macomb, Illinois.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayliss, Alfred 1847 births 1911 deaths Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Deaths by horse-riding accident in the United States Employees of the Illinois General Assembly English emigrants to the United States Hillsdale College alumni Illinois city council members Illinois State Superintendents People of Michigan in the American Civil War People from Bledington People from Streator, Illinois Western Illinois University people 19th-century American politicians People from Sterling, Illinois Grand Army of the Republic officials