Edwin Pliny Seaver (February 24, 1838 – December 8, 1917) was an American educator who served as superintendent of

Boston Public Schools Boston Public Schools (BPS) is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest public school district in the state of Massachusetts. Leadership The district is led by a Superintendent, hired by the ...

from 1880 to 1904.

Early life

Seaver was born on February 24, 1838, in Northborough, Massachusetts. After graduating from Bridgewater State Normal School he taught one semester in East Stoughton before accepting a position at the

Friends Academy Friends Academy is a Quaker, coeducational, independent, college preparatory school serving students from nursery school through the twelfth grade, located in Locust Valley, New York, United States. The school was founded in 1876 by 78-year-old ...

. From 1860 to 1861 he attended

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

to prepare for

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

Career

After graduating in 1864, Seaver returned to the Friends Academy, but left after only a year to become a tutor in mathematics at Harvard. In 1869 he was promoted to assistant professor. While teaching at Harvard, Seaver was also a law student and graduated from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1868. From 1874 to 1880 he was the headmaster of

The English High School The English High School of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, is one of the first public high schools in America, founded in 1821. Originally called The English Classical School, it was renamed The English High School upon its first relocation ...

. From 1879 to 1891 he was a member of the

Harvard Board of Overseers The Harvard Board of Overseers (more formally The Honorable and Reverend the Board of Overseers) is one of Harvard University's two governing boards. Although its function is more consultative and less hands-on than the President and Fellows of Harv ...

. On September 1, 1880,

Samuel Eliot Samuel Eliot (December 22, 1821 – September 14, 1898) was an American historian, educator, and statesman of Boston, Massachusetts and Hartford, Connecticut. Biography Eliot was born in Boston, the son of William Havard Eliot (1796 - 1 ...

resigned as superintendent of Boston Public Schools. A nomination committee was formed and chose Seaver and Larkin Dutton as suitable candidates for the job. On November 9, 1880, the Boston School Committee voted 14 to 6 in favor of Seaver. While serving as superintendent, Seaver also chaired the committee on industrial education and, along with George Walton, wrote a series of arithmetic texts for use in public schools. Seaver was reelected superintendent with little opposition every two years until June 26, 1900, when he was unable to receive enough votes for reappointment. His opponents, however, were unable to elect a successor and he was reelected on August 15. In 1904, supervisor George H. Conley was elected over Seaver 13 to 10.

Personal life

On September 10, 1872, he married Margaret Wiley Cushing of

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. They had seven children, one of whom, Edwin Jr., was a noted

otorhinolaryngologist Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...

. In 1876 the Seavers moved from Cambridge to Roxbury. Two years later they moved to Waban, Massachusetts. Due to his frugality and successful investments, Seaver was able to retire after leaving Boston Public Schools. He spent his later years in

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...

, where he died on December 8, 1917. In 1923, a school in Forest Hills was named after Seaver.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seaver, Edwin P. 1838 births 1917 deaths 19th-century American educators 20th-century American educators Boston Public Schools superintendents Bridgewater State University alumni Harvard College alumni Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences faculty Harvard Law School alumni Members of the Harvard Board of Overseers Educators from Cambridge, Massachusetts People from New Bedford, Massachusetts People from Newton, Massachusetts People from Northborough, Massachusetts Phillips Exeter Academy alumni