James Gordon Carter (1795–1845), born James Carter, Jr. in Leominster, Massachusetts, was a member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

and an

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

reformer. He was educated at

Groton Academy Lawrence Academy at Groton is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational college preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts, in the United States. Founded in 1792 by a group of fifty residents of Groton and Pepperell, Massachusetts ...

and

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 ...

. He wrote ''Influence of an Early Education'' in 1826 (Essays Upon Popular Education), and in 1837, as House Chairman of the Committee on Education, contributed to the establishment of the

Massachusetts Board of Education The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) is the state education agency responsible for interpreting and implementing laws relevant to public education in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Public education in the Commonw ...

, the first state

board of education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

in the United States. This was an important stepping stone in the path to government funded schooling. To the disappointment of many of Carter's supporters, who felt he deserved the honor,

Horace Mann Horace Mann (May 4, 1796August 2, 1859) was an American educational reformer, slavery abolitionist and Whig politician known for his commitment to promoting public education. In 1848, after public service as Secretary of the Massachusetts Sta ...

was appointed the board's first secretary. Carter was also instrumental in the reformation of teacher education, and establishment of the first

Normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...

which later became

Framingham State College Framingham State University (Framingham State or FSU) is a public university in Framingham, Massachusetts. It offers undergraduate programs as well as graduate programs, including MBA, MEd, and MS. History As the first secretary of the newly ...

. This earned him the sobriquet: "Father of the American Normal School." He died in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

on July 22, 1849. The James G. Carter Junior High School in

Leominster, Massachusetts Leominster ( ) is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the second-largest city in Worcester County, with a population of 43,782 at the 2020 census. Leominster is located north of Worcester and northwest of Boston. Both ...

(now defunct) was named after him.

Notes

External links

History of American Education Web Project. (Site maintained by Dr. Robert N. Barger, University of Notre Dame.)

* https://web.archive.org/web/20070207042814/http://www.schoolchoices.org/roo/classics.htm * http://american-education.org/350-james-g-carter-17951849.html *https://books.google.com/books?id=SSXJRZi6z-0C&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=james+g.+carter&source=bl&ots=7ZCzdKg8yn&sig=5hjyIlCqj9HE-EoxuaEFiXmMQts&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JKrWVKzQDM2ANqvzgvgI&ved=0CFAQ6AEwCw#v=onepage&q=james%20g.%20carter&f=false American educational theorists Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Education in Massachusetts 1795 births 1849 deaths 19th-century American politicians Harvard College alumni Groton School alumni {{Massachusetts-politician-stub

Notes

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External links