Thomas W. Bicknell
Encyclopedia
Thomas W. Bicknell American
educator, historian
, and author
, lived to be 91.
Bicknell, born in Barrington, Rhode Island
, he was the son of a farmer, minister, state legislator, and Colonel in the Bristol County, Rhode Island
Militia
, Thomas would become a wealthy eastern historian and educator from Providence, Rhode Island
, he was the State of Rhode Island's Education Commissioner.
Bicknell was the founder of the National Society of the Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims and Order of the Founders and Patriots of America (1898). He re-established, and was the president of, the American Institute of Instruction
. President of the New England Publishing Company.
President of the Rhode Island Institute of Instruction and the National Educational Association.
Author, editor, publisher of the "New England Journal of Education", Boston, 1875-1880. Author, of a five-volume "History of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations", "The Governors of Rhode Island", "The Dorr War", "The Story of the Rhode Island Normal School", "Story of Dr. John Clarke", and the "History and Genealogy of the Bicknell Family and Collateral Lines". Contributing author to "The Bay State Monthly" magazine.
Attended Thetford Academy
and Amherst College
, taught school and became principal in Rehoboth, Massachusetts
, then principal in Elgin, Illinois
.
Signed on to help settle the State of "Free Kansas". On the way to Kansas he was taken hostage by bandits on the Missouri River, but after two weeks as a prisoner, sharpshooters set him adrift.
Returned to Rehoboth, serving as principal once again, earned a masters degree from Brown University
. While a senior at Brown he was elected State Representative in the Rhode Island General Assembly. After graduating from Brown, he became principal of Bristol High School and then Arnold Street Grammar School, then back to Bristol H.S.
Rhode Island Governor Seth Padelford
(Republican 1869-1873) selected Bicknell to be the new Commissioner of Public Schools in 1869. As commissioner he focused on re-establishing the Normal School, now Rhode Island College
. He was a gifted speaker and fundraiser, who would triple the amount of money spent on public education, he also would establish a Rhode Island State Board of Education, oversee the selection of school superintendents in every town and city in the state, dedicate over 50 new schoolhouses, and increase the school year from 27-weeks to 35-weeks.
Bicknell as a reformer.
Bicknell was an equaligist, a racial and sexual reformer, an early advocate to end Black segregation in schools; he also helped elect the United States'
first all-female school board for the town of Tiverton, Rhode Island.
Heritage
In 1914, wanting to have a town named for him, offered a 1000-volume library
to any town in Utah
that would adopt his name. Two towns vied for the prize, Grayson and Thurber, the two towns compromised and in 1916 Thurber changed its name to Bicknell
, and Grayson took the name of Blanding
, Mr. Bicknell's wife's maiden name, and the two towns split the library with 500 books to each.
He and his wife, Amelia D. Bicknell, donated $500 dollars to the Rehoboth Antiquarian Society, in Rehoboth, to establish the Blanding Public Library in the memory of Amelia's parents, Christopher and Chloe Blanding.
In addition to education, he was also very active in civic activates and the church. He served as Commissioner from Rhode Island to the Universal Exposition at Vienna, Austria. He helped establish the U.S. Postal Code system as a member of the 1878 Postal Congress. He served as President in over thirty associations and organizations, and member in over one hundred. He was president of the International Sunday School Union, the Massachusetts Congregational Sunday School Union, the Chautauqua Teachers’ Reading Union, and the New England Sunday School Association.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
educator, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, lived to be 91.
Bicknell, born in Barrington, Rhode Island
Barrington, Rhode Island
Barrington is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 16,310 at the 2010 census.In July 2005, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Barrington sixth on its list of the 100 best places to live in the United States.-History:...
, he was the son of a farmer, minister, state legislator, and Colonel in the Bristol County, Rhode Island
Bristol County, Rhode Island
The border with Bristol County, Massachusetts is rather unusual since the counties both share the same name. The only other instances in which two neighboring counties with the same name share a state border are Sabine County, Texas and Sabine Parish, Louisiana, Union Parish, Louisiana and Union...
Militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
, Thomas would become a wealthy eastern historian and educator from Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, he was the State of Rhode Island's Education Commissioner.
Bicknell was the founder of the National Society of the Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims and Order of the Founders and Patriots of America (1898). He re-established, and was the president of, the American Institute of Instruction
American Institute of Instruction
The American Institute of Instruction was formed in 1830. The original purpose was to secure a Massachusetts Superintendent of Common Schools. Due the work of Samuel Read Hall, George B. Emerson and E. A...
. President of the New England Publishing Company.
President of the Rhode Island Institute of Instruction and the National Educational Association.
Author, editor, publisher of the "New England Journal of Education", Boston, 1875-1880. Author, of a five-volume "History of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations", "The Governors of Rhode Island", "The Dorr War", "The Story of the Rhode Island Normal School", "Story of Dr. John Clarke", and the "History and Genealogy of the Bicknell Family and Collateral Lines". Contributing author to "The Bay State Monthly" magazine.
Attended Thetford Academy
Thetford Academy
Thetford Academy is a historic independent school in Thetford, Vermont. It is the state's oldest secondary school.The co-educational school was founded in February 1819 by local citizens and was granted a charter by the legislature in October of the that same year...
and Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, taught school and became principal in Rehoboth, Massachusetts
Rehoboth, Massachusetts
Rehoboth is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,172 at the 2000 census.-History:It was incorporated in 1643 making it one of the earliest Massachusetts towns to be incorporated. The Rehoboth Carpenter Family is among the founding families...
, then principal in Elgin, Illinois
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...
.
Signed on to help settle the State of "Free Kansas". On the way to Kansas he was taken hostage by bandits on the Missouri River, but after two weeks as a prisoner, sharpshooters set him adrift.
Returned to Rehoboth, serving as principal once again, earned a masters degree from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. While a senior at Brown he was elected State Representative in the Rhode Island General Assembly. After graduating from Brown, he became principal of Bristol High School and then Arnold Street Grammar School, then back to Bristol H.S.
Rhode Island Governor Seth Padelford
Seth Padelford
Seth Padelford was the 31st Governor of Rhode Island from 1869 to 1873.Padelford was born in Taunton, Massachusetts...
(Republican 1869-1873) selected Bicknell to be the new Commissioner of Public Schools in 1869. As commissioner he focused on re-establishing the Normal School, now Rhode Island College
Rhode Island College
Rhode Island College is a nationally ranked, coeducational, state-supported comprehensive college founded in 1854, located in Providence, Rhode Island, USA...
. He was a gifted speaker and fundraiser, who would triple the amount of money spent on public education, he also would establish a Rhode Island State Board of Education, oversee the selection of school superintendents in every town and city in the state, dedicate over 50 new schoolhouses, and increase the school year from 27-weeks to 35-weeks.
Bicknell as a reformer.
Bicknell was an equaligist, a racial and sexual reformer, an early advocate to end Black segregation in schools; he also helped elect the United States'
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
first all-female school board for the town of Tiverton, Rhode Island.
Heritage
In 1914, wanting to have a town named for him, offered a 1000-volume library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
to any town in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
that would adopt his name. Two towns vied for the prize, Grayson and Thurber, the two towns compromised and in 1916 Thurber changed its name to Bicknell
Bicknell, Utah
Bicknell is a town along State Route 24 in Wayne County, Utah, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 353, a slight increase over the 1990 figure of 327.-History:...
, and Grayson took the name of Blanding
Blanding, Utah
Blanding is a city in San Juan County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,162 at the 2000 census, making it the most populated city in San Juan County. It was settled in the late 19th century by Mormon settlers, predominantly from the famed Hole-In-The-Rock expedition...
, Mr. Bicknell's wife's maiden name, and the two towns split the library with 500 books to each.
He and his wife, Amelia D. Bicknell, donated $500 dollars to the Rehoboth Antiquarian Society, in Rehoboth, to establish the Blanding Public Library in the memory of Amelia's parents, Christopher and Chloe Blanding.
In addition to education, he was also very active in civic activates and the church. He served as Commissioner from Rhode Island to the Universal Exposition at Vienna, Austria. He helped establish the U.S. Postal Code system as a member of the 1878 Postal Congress. He served as President in over thirty associations and organizations, and member in over one hundred. He was president of the International Sunday School Union, the Massachusetts Congregational Sunday School Union, the Chautauqua Teachers’ Reading Union, and the New England Sunday School Association.