Calvin Henderson Wiley (February 3, 1819 – January 11, 1887) was a

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

educator. He was the first superintendent of public schools in the state, as well as a novelist.

Early life

Calvin H. Wiley was born on February 3, 1819, in

Guilford County, North Carolina Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population is 541,299, making it the third-most populous county in North Carolina. The county seat, and largest municipality, is Greensboro. Si ...

. He graduated from the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

in 1840 and was admitted to the bar in 1841. He married Mittie Towles on February 25, 1862, and they had five children.

Career

After serving two years in the North Carolina legislature he became superintendent of common schools on January 1, 1853, and served in that office until the end of the Civil War in 1865, when along with all other state officials he was removed from office. During his term as superintendent he founded and edited the ''North Carolina Common School Journal'' in 1856, which lasted only one year but was subsequently put on a firmer footing as the ''North Carolina Journal of Education''. He was ordained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church in 1866. Wiley wrote two historical romances set in North Carolina during the American revolution, ''Alamance'' (1847) and ''Roanoke'' (1849). ''Roanoke'' was reissued under a number of titles, including ''Life in the South'' (1852), ''Utopia'' (1851), and ''Adventures of

Old Dan Tucker "Old Dan Tucker," also known as "Ole Dan Tucker," "Dan Tucker," and other variants, is an American popular song. Its origins remain obscure; the tune may have come from oral tradition, and the words may have been written by songwriter and perfor ...

'' (1852). The stories incorporate North Carolina traditions, legends, history, and settings. Under the title, ''Life at the South'', ''Roanoke'' was given the subtitle ''A Companion to Uncle Tom's Cabin'', in an effort to capture some of the popularity of

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the harsh ...

's famous text.

Death

Wiley died at his home in Winston, North Carolina, in 1887.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiley, Calvin H. 1819 births 1887 deaths Educators from North Carolina 19th-century American novelists Novelists from North Carolina North Carolina Superintendents of Public Instruction People from Guilford County, North Carolina University of North Carolina alumni American Presbyterian ministers Members of the North Carolina General Assembly 19th-century American politicians People from Salem, North Carolina North Carolina Whigs 19th-century American educators 19th-century American clergy