Patrick Thomas Campbell (April 14, 1871 – February 12, 1937) 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 1931 to 1937.

Early life

Campbell was born on April 14, 1871, in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.East Boston. His father was a shipwright and a lack of jobs in the

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

shipyards after the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

caused the Campbells to move to

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. Thomas Campbell died in 1872 and his mother returned to East Boston to live with family. He graduated from

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...

in 1889 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 ...

in 1893. He worked his way through school as an assistant janitor at the Adams Grammar School. In 1899 he married Edith Hayes. They had two children, a son, Thomas, who followed his father into teaching, and a daughter, Edith.

Career

In 1893, Campbell began his teaching career in the

Medford Public Schools Medford Public Schools is a school district located in Medford, Massachusetts. The district has 9 schools in the city serving grades K-12. It is led by Superintendent Dr. Marice Edouard-Vincent. The main office is located at 489 Winthrop Street ...

. In 1897 he became a junior master, Latin and history teacher, and athletic supervisor at Boston Latin. In 1908 he became head of the history department. In 1920 he was appointed headmaster of Boston Latin. During his tenure as headmaster, the average success rate of the Latin's students in the college entrance board exam jumped from 73.4% to 91.4% and the school's students had the highest weighted average at the examination for four consecutive years. While teaching at Boston Latin, Campbell also taught history at

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

Graduate School of Education Graduate may refer to: Education * The subject of a graduation, i.e. someone awarded an academic degree ** Alumnus, a former student who has either attended or graduated from an institution * High school graduate, someone who has completed high ...

and

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

and a course in secondary school administration at the Boston Teachers College. In 1929 he was appointed assistant superintendent of Boston Public Schools. In 1931, Campbell was appointed superintendent of schools following the death of

Jeremiah E. Burke Jeremiah E. Burke (June 25, 1867 – October 29, 1931) was an American educator who served as superintendent of schools in Boston and Lawrence, Massachusetts. Early life Burke was born on June 25, 1867, in Frankfort, Maine, to Patrick and Mary (H ...

. In 1936, Campbell was unanimously reappointed to a six-year term despite opposition from a group of teachers. On February 12, 1937, Campbell died of a heart attack in his sleep. He was the third consecutive superintendent to die unexpectedly while holding the office. His funeral was moved to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross because it was the only Catholic church large enough to hold the thousands of mourners who turned out. He was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery. In 1937 the Patrick T. Campbell Intermediate School in Dorchester was named in honor of Campbell.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Patrick T. 1871 births 1937 deaths 19th-century American educators 20th-century American educators Boston Latin School alumni Boston Public Schools superintendents Burials at St. Joseph Cemetery (West Roxbury, Massachusetts) Catholics from Massachusetts Educators from Massachusetts Harvard College alumni People from Boston