Edward Hitchcock Jr. (May 23, 1828 – February 16, 1911) was an American physical educator.

Biography

Born to Edward Hitchcock Sr., the geologist and President of

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

, and wife Orra White, Hitchcock attended

Williston Seminary Williston Northampton School (simply referred to as Williston) is a private, co-educational, day and boarding college-preparatory school in Easthampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1841. History Williston Seminary was ...

as a boy and continued his education while following in his father's footsteps by entering Amherst College in the fall of 1845. Hitchcock Jr. graduated from Amherst college in 1849. From 1850 to 1861, with the exception of a single year (1852–53), he was teacher of

elocution Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compelli ...

and natural science at Williston Seminary. In 1853, he obtained the degree of doctor of medicine from the

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

. The same year, after receiving his doctorate, he married Mary Judson. They had ten children; three of whom died in infancy. Hitchcock Jr. returned to Amherst College in 1861 as professor of

Hygiene Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

and

Physical Education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

. Hitchcock Jr. was the first ever physical educator.

History

Colleges had hired physical educators since the early 1820s, but Edward Hitchcock Jr. is generally credited with being the first formal physical educator at the collegiate level. He believed in the importance of sound

physical health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

for college students, so that the mind could accomplish its best work and students could look forward to "the promised labor of a long life." To achieve that goal, he developed systems of

physical training Physical fitness is a state of health and well-being and, more specifically, the ability to perform aspects of sports, occupations and daily activities. Physical fitness is generally achieved through proper nutrition, moderate-vigorous physical ...

intended to appeal to the students both mentally and physically. His program at Amherst became a model for

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

and

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

programs nationally and internationally. The development of this first college program was Hitchcock's major contribution to the field of physical education.

Contributions

Edward Hitchcock Jr. contributed to Amherst College not only with his enlightened ideas concerning physical education, but also with his genuine personality. Hitchcock Jr. was noted as a kind, broad-minded, vigorous, optimistic, honest, faithfully religious man with shrewd

common sense ''Common Sense'' is a 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–1776 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. Writing in clear and persuasive prose, Paine collected various moral and political argu ...

and an intense loyalty to the college. Students were known for being rather fond of Hitchcock Jr. as well, and he was often affectionately referred to as "Old Doc". Old Doc is a noted "crusader for fitness" he created schedules for

physical exercise Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic ...

s to be completed at the college. While Edward Hitchcock Jr. actively practiced and taught physical education at Amherst, he also conducted

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

and intently studied the scientific functions that applied to his phys ed ideas. Hitchcock Jr. even worked with his aforementioned father Edward Hitchcock Sr to compile a

textbook A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textboo ...

titled, Elementary Anatomy and Physiology For Colleges, Academies and Other Schools. He named one of the earliest

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

s discovered in America, ''Megadactylus polyzelus.'' Later it was

reclassified ''Reclassified'' is the reissue of Australian rapper Iggy Azalea's debut studio album, ''The New Classic'' (2014). It was released internationally on 21 November 2014 by Virgin EMI Records, and in the United States on 24 November 2014 by Def ...

as the type specimen of ''

Anchisaurus ''Anchisaurus'' is a genus of basal sauropodomorph dinosaur. It lived during the Early Jurassic Period, and its fossils have been found in the red sandstone of the Portland Formation, Northeastern United States, which was deposited from the Het ...

polyzelus'' (ACM 41109), a

prosauropod Sauropodomorpha ( ; from Greek, meaning "lizard-footed forms") is an extinct clade of long-necked, herbivorous, saurischian dinosaurs that includes the sauropods and their ancestral relatives. Sauropods generally grew to very large sizes, had lon ...

Honors and awards

* Honorary Fellow in Memoriam, National Academy of Kinesiology

References

External Links

*Hitchcock, Edward. ''Elementary anatomy and physiology for colleges, academies and other schools''. N.p.: Ivison, Phinney &Co., 1860. 1-441. Web. 14 Mar. 2011

*McArdle, W. D. et al. ''Exercise Physiology''. 4th edition. Williams & Wilkins Publishers. Baltimore, 1996.
Edward and Mary Judson Hitchcock Family Papers, 1840-1962 (Bulk: 1850-1911)
in the Archives & Special Collections at Amherst College

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hitchcock, Edward 1828 births 1911 deaths Amherst College faculty Amherst College alumni Harvard Medical School alumni People associated with physical culture People from Amherst, Massachusetts