Charles Hanford Henderson (December 30, 1861 – January 2, 1941) was an American educator and author.

Biography

Born in Philadelphia, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1882; was lecturer at the Franklin Institute 1883–86; Professor of Physics and Chemistry in the Philadelphia Manual Training School 1889–91, principal 1893–95; Ph.D. at Zurich in 1892; lecturer on education at

Harvard 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 ...

1897–98; and director

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was ...

, Brooklyn, 1898–99. Professor Henderson was a major figure in the creation of educational camps for boys. He founded Camp Marienfeld a Summer Camp for Boys and was its headmaster for 17 years, and was headmaster of the Marienfeld Open-Air School at Samarcand, North Carolina, 1914–16. Marienfeld; a pioneer among camps was established by Dr. Henderson in the summer of 1896 in Milford, Pennsylvania, and was moved to

Chesham, New Hampshire Chesham is an unincorporated community within the town of Harrisville in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. Part of the village is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Chesham Village District, while the southern ...

in 1899 and operated into the 1950s. It was a study camp for boys and stressed the educational program of the progressive camp. Dr. Henderson was an early proponent of manual training and the Arts and Crafts movement in industry. He advocated redesigning the school to suit the nature and needs of the child. Marietta Johnson, the founder of the Marietta Johnson School of Organic Education in Fairhope, Alabama credited Dr. Henderson with having coined the term "organic education" in his 1902 book ''Education and the Larger Life'' which was one of her educational bibles. Dr. Henderson was then a rival of

John Dewey John Dewey (; October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the f ...

in the education reform movement. Although Dewey grew greatly in stature, Henderson was highly regarded and spent his career implementing reform. He was a prolific author who wrote about progressive education, manual training for boys, the value of hand work and the benefits of summer camps. Dr. Henderson's reputation rests largely on his academic papers published in periodicals such as ''

Popular Science ''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...

'', ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. (''Scientific American'' is older, b ...

'', the ''

Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' and the '' North American Review''. His books include: ''Elements of Physics'' (1900); ''Education and the Larger Life'' (1902); ''John Percyfield: The Anatomy of Cheerfulness'' (1903); ''Children of Good Fortune'' (1905); ''Lighted Lamp'' (1908); ''Pay-day'' (1911); ''What It Is to Be Educated'' (1914). Henderson was an elected Member of the American Philosophical Society (1896). In retirement he designed and maintained a summer home in the Arts and Crafts style in the artist’s colony of Tryon, North Carolina. Henderson's winter home was in

Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal Resort town, resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County, Florida, Volusia County near the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coastline, its population ...

, where he died in 1941.''Encyclopedia Americana'', 1913

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Charles Hanford 1861 births 1941 deaths Writers from Philadelphia People from Tryon, North Carolina People from Daytona Beach, Florida Educators from Pennsylvania Members of the American Philosophical Society