The Eastman Business College was a

business school A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, school of business administration, or ...

located in

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeeps ...

, United States. It operated from 1859 until it closed in 1931. At the height of its success, the school was one of the largest commercial colleges in the United States.

History

Eastman Business College was founded by Harvey G. Eastman in

in 1859. Rather than merely being a theoretical school, students gained practical experience in the business arts by actually performing the tasks that would be expected of them in their working careers, a novel approach at the time. In 1897, Eastman Business College had a Business Department which offered hands-on practice in a mock bank and mock railway and express office, and also taught bookkeeping. The college also included a School of Shorthand which trained students in shorthand, typing, duplicating, and filing. In addition, there was a School of Penmanship, which prepared students to teach writing and pen art. Eastman's School of Telegraphy trained students as telegraph operators. The 1898 catalogs of the Eastman Business College and its affiliated school, the New York Business Institute stated "These schools do not receive students of the Negro Race". In 1905 S. V. Daniels, a 17-year-old from

St. Thomas, Virgin Islands Saint Thomas ( da, Sankt Thomas) is one of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea which, together with Saint John, Water Island, Hassel Island, and Saint Croix, form a county-equivalent and constituent district of the United States Virgin ...

withdrew from the main college and transferred to the Harlem branch following the petition of 160 southern students alleging that he was partially of African descent. During its most successful period in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Eastman was one of the largest commercial schools in the United States. The college closed on June 10, 1931.

Notable alumni

* Martin F. Allen,

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

politician * Dwight L. Burgess,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

politician * Harry C. Bentley, founder of

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* Ernest Cady,

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* Edmund Elisha Case, painter *

LeRoy Collins Thomas LeRoy Collins (March 10, 1909 – March 12, 1991) was an American politician who served as the 33rd Governor of Florida. Collins began his governorship after winning a special election in 1954, was elected to a four-year term in 1956 ...

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* Porter Dale,

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from

* Henry T. DeBardeleben, coal magnate * Henry S. De Forest,

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from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

* Nelson W. Fisk,

businessman and

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

* Obadiah Gardner,

from

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...

* Thomas Goldie, Canadian politician * Henry Mayer Halff, rancher * William P. G. Harding, banker * Robert Henry Hendershot,

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drummer boy * Mark C. Honeywell, US electronics industrialist; founder, President and CEO of

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* John L. Jolley,

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from

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Mahlon Kline Mahlon ( ''Maḥlōn'') and Chilion (כִּלְיוֹן ''Ḵilyōn'') were two brothers mentioned in the Book of Ruth. They were the sons of Elimelech of the tribe of Judah and his wife Naomi. Together with their parents, they settled in the land ...

, pharmaceutical executive * Joseph B. Keeler,

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

faculty member *

S. S. Kresge Sebastian Spering Kresge (July 31, 1867 – October 18, 1966) was an American businessman. He created and owned two chains of department stores, the S. S. Kresge Company, one of the 20th century's largest discount retail organizations, and the ...

, retail businessman *

Monroe Henry Kulp Monroe Henry Kulp (October 23, 1858 – October 19, 1911) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Early life Kulp was born in Barto, Pennsylvania on October 23, 1858, the son of Darlington R. Kulp and Eli ...

from

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* Lorenzo D. Lewelling, 12th

Governor of Kansas A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

* John Hamilton Morgan,

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official * John M. Parker,

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from 1920 to 1924 *

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from

John Reber John Reber (February 1, 1858 – September 26, 1931) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. John Reber was born in South Manheim Township, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the Eastman Business College ...

from

Daniel Elmer Salmon Daniel Elmer Salmon (July 23, 1850 – August 30, 1914) was an American veterinarian. He earned the first D.V.M. degree awarded in the United States, and spent his career studying animal diseases for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The b ...

, veterinary surgeon * Samuel Roger Smith, founder of

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* Reuben L. Snowe, Maine politician * Calvert Spensley,

politician * Thomas Bahnson Stanley,

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pioneer * James E. Towner,

politician * Murray Vandiver, Maryland politician * Frank B. Weeks,

Governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connec ...

* Homer W. Wheeler, U.S. Army officer and author * Timothy Woodruff,

and

Lieutenant Governor of New York The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket w ...

* William Ziegler, industrialist

References

External links

{{Authority control Defunct private universities and colleges in New York (state) Educational institutions established in 1859 Educational institutions disestablished in 1931 1859 establishments in New York (state) 1931 disestablishments in New York (state) Education in Poughkeepsie, New York

History

Notable alumni

References

Further reading

External links