Title: Eaton Papers Supplement

Date/Date Range :   1867-1881

Extent: 1.5 linear feet

Abstract:

This collection houses booklets, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, invitations, and correspondence documenting the life and career of John Eaton.

Call number: MS-1078

Repository: University of Tennessee Special Collections Library, Knoxville, TN

Aquisition Information:

Dr. LeRoy Graf donated this collection to the Special Collections Library in 1950.

Access Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Copyright:

The copyright interests in this collection remain with the creator. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library.

Preferred Citation:

[Identification of Item], Eaton Papers Supplement, MS-1078. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Special Collections Library.

Collection consists of one box.

John Eaton (1829-1906) entered the education profession in 1856 as superintendent of schools in Toledo, OH. In 1859, however, Eaton left academia to pursue a career in the ministry, enrolling at Andover Theological Seminary. Shortly after his ordination in 1861, Eaton served as chaplain for the 27th Ohio Infantry. In November 1862, General U.S. Grant chose Eaton to head the "contraband" camps which were established to deal with escaped slaves. This position grew to one in which he became superintendent of freedmen throughout Tennessee and Arkansas. In March 1865, Eaton accepted a position with the newly organized Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands as assistant commissioner for Maryland, the District of Columbia, and parts of Virginia.

After leaving the military, Eaton remained in the South, editing the Memphis Post from 1866-1867 and winning election as state superintendent of education in 1867. He also served on the board of visitors at West Point and was named Commissioner of Education in 1870, remaining at this position until 1886. After leaving government work, Eaton remained in the education field, serving as president of Marietta College in Ohio (1886-1891) and Sheldon Jackson College in Salt Lake City (1895-1899). He also organized the first public school system in Puerto Rico in 1899.

This collection houses booklets, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, invitations, and correspondence documenting the life and career of John Eaton. Interested researchers may also wish to consult the larger body of Eaton papers housed in UTK-MS-0018.

• Eaton, John, 1829-1906.
• United States -- Politics and government -- 1865-1877.