History of State College, (Centre County) Pennsylvania United States of America

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Thomas H. Burrowes, educator, was born at Strasburg, Lancaster county, Pa., Nov. 16, 1805. He was educated at Quebec, Canada, and at Trinity college, Dublin, Ireland. In 1831 and 1832 he was elected to the house of representatives of the Pennsylvania legislature, and in 1835 Governor Ritner appointed him secretary of the commonwealth, in which office he may be said to have initiated the free-school system of education in Pennsylvania. In 1851 he began the publication of the Pennsylvania School Journal, which, by act of the legislature, was, in 1855, made the organ of the school department of the state. In 1854 he prepared for the state the descriptive matter for "Pennsylvania School Architecture," and after 1856 he drafted most of the important school laws passed by the Pennsylvania legislature, including the normal school law. In 1858 he was elected mayor of Lancaster, and in 1860 was appointed state superintendent of common schools of Pennsylvania. In 1864 he was made superintendent of the soldier's orphan schools of Pennsylvania, and established similar institutions throughout the state. Five years later he was elected president of the Pennsylvania agricultural college. He died at State College, March 25, 1871.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of State College, (Centre County) Pennsylvania

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