John Swett
Encyclopedia
John Swett is considered to be the "Father of the California public school" system and the "Horace Mann
of the Pacific".
, to Lucretia (born French) Swett and Eben Swett, who were Congregationalists. He died August 22, 1913 in Alhambra, California
. He married Mary Louise (Tracy) Swett on May 8, 1862 in Sonoma
, and they had 8 children. During his life he was a close friend of Sierra Club
co-founder John Muir
. Swett arrived in California in 1853 to mine gold
but quickly sought work as a teacher in San Francisco. In 1862 he became a Freemason, joining San Francisco's Phoenix Lodge No. 144.
In 1863 he was instrumental in founding the California Educational Society, which would become the California Teachers Association
, the largest teachers' union in the state of California. Running in 1863, during the Civil War
, as a National Union Party
(Republican) candidate he was elected California State Superintendent of Public Instruction
and served until 1867. Other positions he held were Deputy Superintendent of the San Francisco Public Schools (1870–1873), Principal of the Denman School (1873–1876) and the Girls' High School (1876–1889), and Superintendent of the San Francisco Public Schools (1890–1895). In 1895 he retired to his estate, Hill Girt Ranch.
criticized, among other things, Swett's autocratic style. He states the following on page 111:
Horace Mann
Horace Mann was an American education reformer, and a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1827 to 1833. He served in the Massachusetts Senate from 1834 to 1837. In 1848, after serving as Secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education since its creation, he was...
of the Pacific".
Biography
John Swett was an only child born July 31, 1830 in Pittsfield, New HampshirePittsfield, New Hampshire
Pittsfield is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 4,106 at the 2010 census.The central village in town, where 1,576 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Pittsfield census-designated place , and is located on the Suncook River near the junction of New...
, to Lucretia (born French) Swett and Eben Swett, who were Congregationalists. He died August 22, 1913 in Alhambra, California
Alhambra, California
Alhambra is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, which is approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. As of the 2010 census, the population was 83,089, down from 85,804 at the 2000 census. The city's...
. He married Mary Louise (Tracy) Swett on May 8, 1862 in Sonoma
Sonoma, California
Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...
, and they had 8 children. During his life he was a close friend of Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
co-founder John Muir
John Muir
John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions...
. Swett arrived in California in 1853 to mine gold
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
but quickly sought work as a teacher in San Francisco. In 1862 he became a Freemason, joining San Francisco's Phoenix Lodge No. 144.
In 1863 he was instrumental in founding the California Educational Society, which would become the California Teachers Association
California Teachers Association
The California Teachers Association , initially established in 1863 as the California Educational Society, is by far the largest teachers' union in the state of California. It is considered by many to be the most powerful union in California...
, the largest teachers' union in the state of California. Running in 1863, during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, as a National Union Party
National Union Party (United States)
The National Union Party was the name used by the Republican Party for the national ticket in the 1864 presidential election, held during the Civil War. State Republican parties did not usually change their name....
(Republican) candidate he was elected California State Superintendent of Public Instruction
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction
The State Superintendent of Public Instruction of California is the nonpartisan elected executive officer of the California Department of Education. The SPI directs all functions of the Department of Education and executes policies set by the California State Board of Education...
and served until 1867. Other positions he held were Deputy Superintendent of the San Francisco Public Schools (1870–1873), Principal of the Denman School (1873–1876) and the Girls' High School (1876–1889), and Superintendent of the San Francisco Public Schools (1890–1895). In 1895 he retired to his estate, Hill Girt Ranch.
California State Superintendent of Public Instruction (1863-1867)
His most important accomplishment was making the California school system free for all students. In his report for 1866-67, he stated: "The school year ending June 30, 1867, marks the transition period of California from rate-bill common schools to an American free school system. For the first time in the history of the State, every public school was made entirely free for every child to enter."Criticism
In his 1878 book The Poison Fountain Zachariah MontgomeryZachariah Montgomery
Zachariah "Zach" Montgomery was a publisher, lawyer, politician, and author, particularly known for his skills as an orator....
criticized, among other things, Swett's autocratic style. He states the following on page 111:
It must be remembered that Superintendent Swett maintains the proposition that parents have no remedy against the teachers, and that:
"As a general thing the only persons who have a legal right to give orders to the teacher are his employers, namely, the committee in some States, and in others the directors or trustees. If his conduct is approved by his employers the parents have no remedy as against him or them." (See Swett's Biennial Report, 1864, page 166.)
And we must not forget that this same superintendent has said that: " The vulgar impression that parents have a legal right to dictate to teachers is entirely erroneous."
Tributes
- John Swett Award for Media Excellence, awarded yearly by the California Teachers AssociationCalifornia Teachers AssociationThe California Teachers Association , initially established in 1863 as the California Educational Society, is by far the largest teachers' union in the state of California. It is considered by many to be the most powerful union in California...
- John Swett High SchoolJohn Swett High SchoolJohn Swett High School is located in Crockett, California, USA, and serves the communities of Crockett, Port Costa, Rodeo, and the Foxboro area of Hercules. It is named after John Swett, former California Superintendent of Public Instruction, elected in 1863. John Swett High School was established...
in Crockett, CaliforniaCrockett, CaliforniaCrockett is a census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 3,094 at the 2010 census... - John Swett Unified School DistrictJohn Swett Unified School DistrictThe John Swett Unified School District is a public school district in Contra Costa County, California. It currently operates one elementary school, one middle school, and one standard high school and another for Continuing and Alternative education...
in Contra Costa County, CaliforniaContra Costa County, CaliforniaContra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025... - On the day of his funeral (August 25, 1913), nearly every school in California closed in honor of Swett.
Books and other works
- His papers have been donated by his children to the Bancroft LibraryBancroft LibraryThe Bancroft Library is the primary special collections library of the University of California, Berkeley. It was acquired as a gift/purchase from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity...
at the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
: Guide to the John Swett Papers, 1853-1913, Bancroft Library Staff, University of California, Berkeley - Also donated to the Bancroft Library were the papers of the Tracy family (Swett's wife's family): Tracy family papers (ca. 1800-1888), Collection Number: BANC MSS Z-Z 107
- History of the Public School System of California, by John Swett
- Methods of Teaching, by John Swett
External links
- Mountain View People webpage describing John Swett's grave site at Mountain View Cemetery (Oakland, California). He is interred with his daughter Helen Swett Artieda and her husband Gregorio Artieda.
- "Early Vision of Semple, Swett Realized in Broad, Firm Educational System", by Will C. Wood, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
- "John Swett and the Politics of Public Education in Frontier California", by Ruth E. Sutter
- "John Swett (1830-1913)", JiffyNotes.com
- The Bay of San Francisco, Vol. 2, Pages 526-527, Lewis Publishing Co, 1892. (San Francisco County Biographies, Genealogy.com)
- "John Swett, Public Education in California" (New York: American Books, 1911) (from http://www.encyclopedia.com)
- John Swett's entry in various editions of Who's WhoWho's WhoWho's Who is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biographical information on a particular group of people...
:- Who's Who in America, Volume 3, edited by John William Leonard, Albert Nelson Marquis
- Who's Who in America
- A Yankee Patriot: John Swett, the Horace Mann of the Pacific Nicholas C. Polos History of Education Quarterly Vol. 4, No. 1 (Mar., 1964), pp. 17-32