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Charles Herman Allen
[edit]Charles H. Allen | |
|---|---|
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| 6th Principal of San José State University | |
| In office August 5, 1873 – June 24, 1889 | |
| Preceded by | William T. Lucky |
| Succeeded by | Charles W. Childs |
| 1st Principal of the University of Wisconsin–Platteville | |
| In office October 9, 1866 – 1870 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 11, 1828 Mansfield, Pennsylvania |
| Died | September 11, 1904 (aged 76) Wrights, California |
| Resting place | Oak Hill Memorial Park |
| Spouse(s) | Abigail Ann Phelps (m. 1854) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Volunteers Union Army |
| Years of service | 1864 |
| Rank | Captain, USV |
| Unit | 40th Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Charles H. Allen (February 11, 1828 – September 11, 1904) was an American educator and academic administrator. He taught classes and served in administrative roles across the U.S. States of New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Oregon, and California, most notably becoming the Principal of the Platteville Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin–Platteville) and the California State Normal School (now San Jose State University).[1]
Early life and career
[edit]Charles Herman Allen was born in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, on February 11, 1828, to parents Almon Allen and Polly Bates.[2] When he was young, a "spinal curve" developed which caused significant damage to his nervous system, and would follow him for the rest of his life. He initially attended common schools of the area, before dropping out of his secondary education after only a single semester due to health issues. Initially, guided by his physicians away from further academic work, he became a cutler, however after a local teacher resigned due to illness, he began teaching for additional income, and found a passion for teaching. He then re-enrolled in secondary education, attending Westfield Academy and earning a New York Teacher's Certificate, while continuing to teach in New York common schools, and work as a cutler during the vacations.[3][4]
In 1851, he moved to McKean County in Pennsylvania, where he became the principal of a Smethport School.[5] He served as principal until 1854 when a decline in his health necessitated his resignation. His recovery took multiple years, during which he worked as a land surveyor.[3] After his recovery, he became the associate principal of a normal school in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
University of Wisconsin
[edit]In the summer of 1859 he was invited to Madison, Wisconsin by Henry Barnard, the Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin, to help organize a series of teachers' institutes designed to further develop prospective educators. Allen initially spent only that summer in Wisconsin before returning to Pennsylvania. However, after Barnard's resignation in 1860, Allen was offered and accepted positions as an agent for the State Board of Normal Regents and as the director of the teachers' institutes at the university.[5][6]
For the 1860–61 academic year he taught at a private normal and high school in Madison, with the intent to continue running the teachers' institute in the summer, however, at the outbreak of the American Civil War, the teachers' institute program was cancelled. Allen then became the Madison school superintendent, working for a $250 annual salary ($8,478 in 2023) on the stipulation that he be able to continue teaching classes.[2]
In 1863 the University of Wisconsin saw declining enrollment due to the ongoing Civil War. Allen, as normal regent board member, reasoned that opening the university to women would help to alleviate the issue and fought to departmentalize the existing education classes. Several students, alumni, and faculty opposed allowing female enrollment, but on March 16, 1863, the normal department opened anyways, with Allen as principal.[5][7] In 1930, the normal department he founded would become the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education.
Despite its recent founding, the normal department was briefly suspended after the 1863–64 academic year when Allen and 30 of his senior students enlisted in the 40th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment as Hundred Days Men for the still-ongoing Civil War. Allen served as the captain of Company D, which marched to and defended, Memphis, Tennessee.[8][9]
In January 1865, with his health failing him yet again, Allen issued his resignation from the university. His resignation was initially effective at the end of the school year; however, he stayed an additional semester, leaving the university at the end of the calendar year, 1865.[7] For six months after his resignation, he worked in a life insurance office in Cincinnati, Ohio, before being invited by the State Board of Normal Regents to serve as the first principal of the state's first normal school, an offer he accepted.[5] This school would come to be known as the Platteville Normal School, and later the University of Wisconsin–Platteville.
Platteville Normal School
[edit]The Platteville Normal School opened on October 9, 1866, with Allen as one of five full-time faculty members. Attendance was 110 in the first year, with attempts made to solidify the academic foundation of the nascent institution, including the foundation of a literary society and the construction of additional buildings.[10]
[xyz]
After his resignation from the Platteville Normal School, Allen moved to Portland, Oregon to again recover his health thinking that the fresh air would benefit him. Once his health permitted, he started teaching classes in Portland, and helped open the Bishop Scott Grammar School where he would serve as Principal.[7][11]
California State Normal School
[edit]Later life and death
[edit]Legacy
[edit]In 1960, San Jose State named Allen Hall in his honor, which served as a dormitory building until its demolition in 2003.[12]
In 2007, Allen's home in Platteville contributed to the West Main Street Historic District, which was listed to the National Register of Historic Places.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ "Presidents | History". www.sjsu.edu. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ^ a b "Principal Allen". www.sjsu.edu. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
- ^ a b James Miller, Guinn (1904). "Prof. Charles H. Allen". History of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties, California. The Chapman Publishing Co., Chicago. pp. 402–403.
- ^ San Jose State College (1889). Historical sketch of the State normal school at San José, California. University of California. Sacramento, J. D. Young, supt. state printing. p. 117-121.
- ^ a b c d Gilbert, Benjamin Franklin (1957). "Chapter 5: The Normal School's Golden Years". Pioneers for One Hundred Years: San Jose State College 1857-1957 (1st ed.). Literary Licensing, LLC. ISBN 9781258343118.
- ^ "Allen, Charles Herman(?) 1828 - 1904". Wisconsin Historical Society. 2017-08-08. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ a b c "Charles H. Allen". The Wisconsin alumni magazine. Vol. 5 (9). University of Wisconsin. June 1904. pp. 307–309.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: year (link) - ^ "Soldier Details: Allen, Charles H." National Park Service.
- ^ "40th Wisconsin Infantry History". Wisconsin Historical Society. 2012-08-27. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
- ^ "Chapter IV. A chronicle of seventy-five years". During seventy-five years : a history of the State Teachers College, Platteville, Wisconsin, 1866-1941. 1941. pp. 79–82.
- ^ Scott, Harvey Whitefield (1890). "Educational Institutions". History of Portland, Oregon: with illustrations and biographical sketches of prominent citizens and pioneers. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason & Company. p. 396.
- ^ Blevins, Lee (January 22, 2003). "Dorms Demolished". The Spartan Daily. pp. 1, 7.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form - West Main Street Historic Distric" (PDF). Feb 22, 2007.
to use:
1928 SJSU history book: https://archive.org/details/storyofinspiring00grea/page/134/mode/2up
Chautauqua History Book: https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/12063616