John Eaton (General)
Encyclopedia
For other people named John Eaton, see John Eaton (disambiguation)
.
John Eaton, Jr. (December 5, 1829 – February 9, 1906) was a U.S. Commissioner of Education and a brevet
brigadier general
during the American Civil War
.
, and attended Thetford Academy
in Vermont
. He graduated from Dartmouth College
in 1854, studied at Andover Theological Seminary, and was ordained in 1862 to the Presbyterian ministry.
during the American Civil War. In November 1863, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant
appointed him as the Superintendent of Negro Affairs for the Department of the Tennessee; there Eaton supervised the establishment of 74 schools. In 1863, Eaton was made colonel of the 63rd Regiment of Colored Infantry, and, in 1865, he was advanced to brevet brigadier general.
Post in 1866–1867. He was appointed United States Commissioner of Education
in 1870 and served with great efficiency in the Bureau of Education
. Commissioner Eaton also reorganized the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands
.
In 1886–1891, Eaton was president of Marietta College
, and, in 1895, he was appointed president of Sheldon Jackson College
in Sitka, Alaska
. In 1898, he became inspector of education in Puerto Rico
and played a role in the centralization of its educational system. His educational writings dealt largely with the education of freedmen. Eaton also wrote a history of Thetford Academy
. He died in Washington, D.C.
, where John Eaton Elementary School is named for him.
John Eaton (disambiguation)
John Eaton may refer to:*John Eaton , English divine*Sir John Craig Eaton, Canadian businessman*John Craig Eaton John Eaton may refer to:*John Eaton (divine), English divine*Sir John Craig Eaton, (1876–1922) Canadian businessman*John Craig Eaton (Chancellor Ryerson University) John Eaton may...
.
John Eaton, Jr. (December 5, 1829 – February 9, 1906) was a U.S. Commissioner of Education and a brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
during the American 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...
.
Early life
Eaton was born in Sutton, New HampshireSutton, New Hampshire
Sutton is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,837 at the 2010 census. Sutton is home to Wadleigh State Beach on Kezar Lake.-History:...
, and 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...
in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. He graduated from Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1854, studied at Andover Theological Seminary, and was ordained in 1862 to the Presbyterian ministry.
Civil War
Eaton served in the Union ArmyUnion Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War. In November 1863, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
appointed him as the Superintendent of Negro Affairs for the Department of the Tennessee; there Eaton supervised the establishment of 74 schools. In 1863, Eaton was made colonel of the 63rd Regiment of Colored Infantry, and, in 1865, he was advanced to brevet brigadier general.
Postbellum career
General Eaton edited the MemphisMemphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
Post in 1866–1867. He was appointed United States Commissioner of Education
Commissioner of Education
The Commissioner of Education was the title given to the head of the National Bureau of Education, a former unit within the Department of the Interior in the United States...
in 1870 and served with great efficiency in the Bureau of Education
Bureau of Education (National)
The Office of Education was a small unit in the General Government of the United States. It was created on March 2, 1867, as the Department of Education, using the same titles as another unit which it superseded. Henry Barnard was appointed as the first Commissioner of Education in 1867. During...
. Commissioner Eaton also reorganized the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands
Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands
The Freedmen's Bureau, was a U.S. federal government agency that aided distressed freedmen in 1865–1869, during the Reconstruction era of the United States....
.
In 1886–1891, Eaton was president of Marietta College
Marietta College
Marietta College is a co-educational private college in Marietta, Ohio, USA, which was the first permanent settlement of the Northwest Territory. The school offers 42 majors along with a large number of minors, all of which are grounded in a strong liberal arts foundation...
, and, in 1895, he was appointed president of Sheldon Jackson College
Sheldon Jackson College
Sheldon Jackson College was a small private college located on Baranof Island in Sitka, Alaska, United States. Founded in 1878, it was the oldest institution of higher learning in Alaska and maintained a historic relationship with the Presbyterian Church. The college was named in honor of Rev...
in Sitka, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. In 1898, he became inspector of education in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and played a role in the centralization of its educational system. His educational writings dealt largely with the education of freedmen. Eaton also wrote a history of 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...
. He died in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, where John Eaton Elementary School is named for him.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals