Dr. Azel Parkhurst Ladd (c. 1811– July 27, 1854) was an American educator, physician and politician from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. Born in

Haverhill, New Hampshire Haverhill is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,585 at the 2020 census. Haverhill includes the villages of Woodsville, Pike, and North Haverhill, the historic town center at Haverhill Corner, and the dis ...

, Ladd studied medicine at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and taught school in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. In 1842, he moved to

Shullsburg, Wisconsin Shullsburg is a city in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,226 at the 2010 census. The city is adjacent to the Town of Shullsburg. Founded in 1827 it is one of the oldest settlements in Wisconsin. There are 34 bui ...

where he was involved with mining. In 1851, Ladd called for "temporary normal schools" to provide for more teachers. He was elected as the second

Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin The Superintendent of Public Instruction, sometimes referred to as the State Superintendent of Schools, is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the Wisconsin state government, and acts as the executive head of the Department of ...

, serving from 1852 to 1854 with a salary of $1,000 per year. Through regional meetings he organized the Wisconsin Teachers' Association and called the first state teachers' convention in 1853. He was also involved with the Wisconsin Historical Society. Ladd was an advocate for the Common School Fund. Following his term in office, Ladd briefly resumed his medical practice. Ladd died from

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

at the age of 42 in 1854, six months after leaving office.

Notes

1810s births 1854 deaths People from Haverhill, New Hampshire Educators from Wisconsin Superintendents of Public Instruction of Wisconsin People from Shullsburg, Wisconsin 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American educators {{Wisconsin-politician-stub