Title: John Eaton Papers

Date/Date Range :   circa 1870-1877

Extent: 0.1 linear feet

Abstract:

In a November 24, 1877 letter and an undated note, the John Eaton Papers include a description of schools in the Puget Sound area, a plea for help in establishing a new Christian school in Washington state, and an announcement regarding the opening of free schools.

Call number: MS-2256

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

Aquisition Information:

This collection is property of Special Collections.

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], John Eaton Papers, MS-2256. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Special Collections Library.

Collection consists of a single folder.

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.

For more information on Eaton, see MS-18.

In a November 24, 1877 letter and an undated note, the John Eaton Papers provide insight into the career of an educational leader after the Civil War. In a letter to Eaton in Washington, D.C., E.O. Jade of Hidalgo, Whatcom County, WA, writes to ask for advice in the creation and opening of new Christian school in the Puget Sound area. He also provides information on existing schools in the area, including a statement that "the Territorial University seems to have been launched & managed mostly by Politicians & they have succeeded in letting the money all slip." The undated note found in this collection informs that "free schools have been opened in well nigh every county of the state."

• United States -- Politics and government -- 1849-1877.
• Public schools -- Washington (State).
• Private schools -- Washington (State).