The Superintendent of Public Instruction is an elected office in the state government of Indiana

Government of Indiana

The government of Indiana is established and regulated by the Constitution of Indiana. The state-level government consists of three branches, the judicial branch, the legislative branch, and the executive branch. The three branches balance share power and jointly govern the state of Indiana...

. The official is an elected member of the executive branch of government and work with the state Board of Education as head of the Indiana Department of Education

Indiana Department of Education

The Indiana Department of Education oversees primary and secondary education in the U.S. state of Indiana. The department is managed by the Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, an elected office currently held by Dr. Tony Bennett...

 to oversee certain areas of public schools in Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

. The position was created in 1851 with the adoption of the Constitution of Indiana

Constitution of Indiana

There have been two Constitutions of the State of Indiana. The first constitution was created when the Territory of Indiana sent forty-three delegates to a constitutional convention on June 10, 1816 to establish a constitution for the proposed State of Indiana after the United States Congress had...

, and filled in the first general election following its creation.

The annual salary of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of Indiana is $79,400.

List of Superintendents

#	Name	Took Office	Left office	Party	Hometown	Notes
1	William C. Larrabee William C. Larrabee William C. Larrabee was the third president of Depauw University.Larrabee attended Bowdoin College at the same time as United States President Franklin Pierce and graduated in 1928....	November 8, 1852	November 8, 1854	Democrat	Crawfordsville, Indiana Crawfordsville, Indiana Crawfordsville is a city in Union Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,915. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County...
2	Caleb Mills Caleb Mills Caleb Mills was an American educator and the first faculty member of Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He helped to construct the public education system of Indiana. Mills came to Wabash College in 1833, after graduating from Dartmouth College and Andover Seminary, to become the first...	November 8, 1854	February 10, 1857	Whig	Crawfordsville, Indiana Crawfordsville, Indiana Crawfordsville is a city in Union Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,915. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County...
3	William C. Larrabee William C. Larrabee William C. Larrabee was the third president of Depauw University.Larrabee attended Bowdoin College at the same time as United States President Franklin Pierce and graduated in 1928....	February 10, 1857	February 10, 1859	Democrat	Crawfordsville, Indiana Crawfordsville, Indiana Crawfordsville is a city in Union Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,915. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County...
4	Samuel L. Rugg	February 10, 1859	February 10, 1861	Democrat	Allen County, Indiana Allen County, Indiana As of the census of 2000, there were 331,849 people, 128,745 households, and 86,259 families residing in the county. The population density was 505 people per square mile . There were 138,905 housing units at an average density of 211 per square mile...
5	Miles J. Fletcher	February 10, 1861	May 10, 1862	Republican	Putnam County, Indiana Putnam County, Indiana As of the census of 2000, there were 36,019 people, 12,374 households, and 9,119 families residing in the county. The population density was 75 people per square mile . There were 13,505 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...
6	Samuel K. Hoshour	April 15, 1862	November 25, 1862	Republican	Wayne County, Indiana Wayne County, Indiana Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,917. The county seat is Richmond.-History:...
7	Samuel L. Rugg	November 25, 1862	March 15, 1867	Democrat	Allen County, Indiana Allen County, Indiana As of the census of 2000, there were 331,849 people, 128,745 households, and 86,259 families residing in the county. The population density was 505 people per square mile . There were 138,905 housing units at an average density of 211 per square mile...
8	George W. Hoss	March 15, 1865	October 17, 1868	Democrat	Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
9	Barnabas C. Hobbs	October 26, 1868	March 15, 1871	Republican	Bloomingdale, Indiana Bloomingdale, Indiana Bloomingdale is a town in Penn Township, Parke County, Indiana, United States. The population was 335 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Bloomingdale is located at ....
10	Milton B. Hopkins	March 15, 1871	August 17, 1874	Democrat	Kokomo, Indiana Kokomo, Indiana Kokomo is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Indiana, United States, Indiana's 13th largest city. It is the principal city of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Howard and Tipton counties....
11	Alexander C. Hopkins	August 20, 1874	March 15, 1875	Democrat	Milroy, Indiana Milroy, Indiana Milroy is located in Anderson Township, in the southern part of Rush County, Indiana. It is the location of Milroy Elementary School, a school in the Rush County Schools Corporation. It had a population of 604 at the 2010 census....
12	James H. Smart	March 15, 1875	March 15, 1881	Democrat	Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
13	John M. Bloss	March 15, 1881	March 15, 1883	Republican	Evansville, Indiana Evansville, Indiana Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
14	John W. Holcombe	March 15, 1883	March 15, 1887	Democrat	Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 31,730 at the 2010 census, making it the 2nd largest city in Porter County.-History:...
15	Harvey Marion LaFollette Harvey Marion LaFollette Harvey Marion LaFollette was an Indiana teacher and educator who, as a young man, served two terms as Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction. He then moved to Tennessee where he established the town of LaFollette, Tennessee...	March 15, 1887	March 15, 1891	Republican	Boone County, Indiana Boone County, Indiana As of the census of 2000, there were 46,107 people, 17,081 households, and 12,810 families residing in the county. The population density was 109 people per square mile . There were 17,929 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile...
16	Hervey D. Vories	March 15, 1891	March 15, 1895	Democrat	Nineveh, Indiana Nineveh, Indiana Nineveh is an unincorporated community in Nineveh Township, Johnson County, Indiana, United States. Scenes from the movie Hoosiers were shot in the old high school which was renamed "Hickory High School" for the film....
17	David M Geeting	March 15, 1895	March 15, 1899	Republican	Clinton County, Indiana Clinton County, Indiana As of the census of 2000, there were 33,866 people, 12,545 households, and 9,057 families residing in the county. The population density was 84 people per square mile . There were 13,267 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
18	Frank L. Jones	March 15, 1899	March 15, 1903	Republican	Howard County, Indiana Howard County, Indiana Howard County is one of 92 counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is part of the Kokomo, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Howard and Tipton counties. Originally named Richardville County, it was rechristened in 1844 to commemorate General Tilghman Ashurst Howard. As of...
19	Fassett A. Cotton	March 15, 1903	March 15, 1909	Republican	Henry County, Indiana Henry County, Indiana As of the census of 2000, there were 48,508 people, 19,486 households, and 13,971 families residing in the county. The population density was 124 people per square mile . There were 20,592 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile...
20	Robert J. Aley	March 15, 1909	January 1, 1910	Democrat	Owen County, Indiana Owen County, Indiana Owen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana, and determined by the U.S. Census Bureau to include the mean center of U.S. population in 1920. As of 2010, the population was 21,575...
21	Charles A. Greathouse	January 1, 1910	March 15, 1917	Democrat	Mount Vernon, Indiana Mount Vernon, Indiana Mount Vernon is a city in southern Indiana along the Ohio River and the county seat of Posey County. It is located in Black Township. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 6,687...
22	Horace D. Ellis	March 15, 1917	March 15, 1919	Republican	Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes, Indiana Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census...
23	Linnaeus N. Hines Linnaeus N. Hines Linnaeus Neal Hines is best known as being a former president of Indiana State University and its Eastern Division, later known as Ball State University. He was also the Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1919 to 1921.- Early life :Hines was born on February 12, 1871 in Carthage,...	March 15, 1919	October 1, 1921	Republican	Noblesville, Indiana Noblesville, Indiana Noblesville is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, located just north of Indianapolis. The population was 51,969 at the 2010 census making it the 14th largest city/town in the state, up from 19th in 2007...
24	Benjamin J. Burris	January 1, 1921	November 1, 1924	Republican	Washington, Indiana Washington, Indiana Washington is a city in Daviess County, Indiana, United States. The population was 11,509 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Daviess County.-History:...
25	Henry N. Sherwood	March 15, 1924	March 15, 1927	Republican	Franklin, Indiana Franklin, Indiana As of the census of 2000, there were 19,463 people, 6,824 households, and 4,872 families residing in the city. The population increased by more than 50% during the 1990s , with new residents attracted by jobs in the community, as well as some people commuting to Indianapolis for work. The...
26	Charles F. Miller	March 15, 1927	September 1, 1927	Republican	Elkhart County, Indiana Elkhart County, Indiana Elkhart County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. Much of the county is in the Elkhart-Goshen Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in turn is part of the South Bend-Elkhart-Mishawaka Combined Statistical Area...
27	Roy P. Wisehart	September 1, 1927	March 15, 1931	Republican	Union City, Indiana Union City, Indiana Union City is a city in Wayne Township, Randolph County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 3,584.Union City was a stop along the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, a forerunner of the Pennsylvania Railroad that connected Pittsburgh to...
28	George C. Cole	March 15, 1931	December 31, 1933	Democrat	Lawrenceburg, Indiana Lawrenceburg, Indiana Lawrenceburg is a city in Dearborn County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,042 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Dearborn County...
30	Floyd I. McMurray	January 1, 1934	March 15, 1941	Democrat	Thorntown, Indiana Thorntown, Indiana Thorntown is a town in Sugar Creek Township, Boone County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,562 at the 2000 census. Thorntown is located in northwestern Boone City, about halfway between Lafayette and Indianapolis.-Geography:...
31	Clement T. Malan	March 15, 1941	March 15, 1947	Republican	Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
32	Ben H. Watt	March 15, 1947	March 15, 1949	Republican	Noblesville, Indiana Noblesville, Indiana Noblesville is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, located just north of Indianapolis. The population was 51,969 at the 2010 census making it the 14th largest city/town in the state, up from 19th in 2007...
33	Deane E. Walker	March 15, 1949	March 15, 1951	Democrat	Culver, Indiana Culver, Indiana Culver is a town in Marshall County, Indiana, United States. Culver is part of Union Township that also includes the communities of Burr Oak, Hibbard, Maxinkuckee and Rutland. The population was 1,353 at the 2010 census...
34	Wilbur E. Young	March 15, 1951	March 15, 1959	Republican	Osgood, Indiana Osgood, Indiana Osgood is a town in Center Township, Ripley County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,624 at the 2010 census. In 1999, the community received a $23 million bequest from the Gilmore and Golda Reynolds Foundation, which was established by two lifelong Osgood residents to assist the town...
35	William E. Wilson	March 15, 1959	March 15, 1967	Democrat	Jeffersonville, Indiana Jeffersonville, Indiana Jeffersonville is a city in Clark County, Indiana, along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It is directly across the Ohio River to the north of Louisville, Kentucky along I-65. The population was 44,953 at the 2010 census...
36	Richard D. Wells	March 15, 1967	March 15, 1971	Republican	Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 31,730 at the 2010 census, making it the 2nd largest city in Porter County.-History:...
37	John J. Loughlin	March 15, 1971	March 15, 1973	Democrat	South Bend, Indiana South Bend, Indiana The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
39	Dr. Harold H. Negley	March 15, 1973	June 6, 1985	Republican	Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
40	Dr. H. Dean Evans	June 6, 1985	January 11, 1993	Republican	Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
41	Dr. Suellen Reed	January 11, 1993	January 12, 2009	Republican	Rushville, Indiana Rushville, Indiana Rushville is a city in Rushville Township, Rush County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,341 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Rush County. It was the campaign headquarters for Wendell Willkie's 1940 presidential campaign against Franklin D. Roosevelt. Willkie is buried...
42	Dr. Tony Bennett Dr. Tony Bennett Dr. Tony Bennett is the current Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction. He was sworn in on January 12, 2009. Dr. Bennett, a Republican, was elected to his first term in 2008 defeating his Democratic opponent, Dr. Richard Wood with over 51% of the vote....	January 12, 2009	Current	Republican	New Albany, Indiana New Albany, Indiana New Albany is a city in Floyd County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River opposite Louisville, Kentucky. In 1900, 20,628 people lived in New Albany; in 1910, 20,629; in 1920, 22,992; and in 1940, 25,414. The population was 36,372 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of...

Sources