History of Rockingham, (Windham County) Vermont United States of America

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Solim Hobart Peabody, educator, was born in Rockingham, Vt., Aug. 20, 1829; son of the Rev. Charles Hobart and Grace Stone (Ide) Peabody; grandson of Dr. John and Kezia (Hobart) Peabody, and a descendant of Lieut. Francis Peabody, the immigrant. He attended the Boston Latin school, 1842-43; afterward obtained employment as a carpenter; taught school during the winter months, beginning in 1846, and was graduated from the University of Vermont, A.B. 1852, A.M., 1855. He was married, August 9, 1852, to Mary Elizabeth, daughter of David Knapp Pangborn, of Burlington, Vt., where he was principal of the high school, 1852-54. He was professor of mathematics and civil engineering at the Polytechnic college, Philadelphia, Pa., 1854--59; principal of the high school at Fond du Lac, Wis., 1859-62; superintendent of public schools at Racine, Wis., 1862?65, and teacher of physical science in the high school at Chicago, Ill., 1865?71. During 1865?71 he conducted the first evening schools for working men in Chicago. He was professor of physics and civil engineering at the Massachusetts Agricultural college, 1871?74; returned to the Chicago high and evening schools in 1874; was professor of mechanical engineering at the Illinois Industrial university, 1878?80, and was president of that institution, 1880?91. During his presidency the university was greatly enlarged and the name was changed to the University of Illinois. In 1891 he resigned to become chief of the liberal arts department at the World's Columbian exposition. He was editor and statistician, U.S. commission to the Paris exposition, 1899?1900. He was secretary of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, 1874?88; president, 1892?95; president of the national council of education, 1889?91; superintendent of the Division of Liberal Arts at the Buffalo exposition in 1901, and superintendent of education and of awards at the Charleston exposition in 1902. The honorary degree of Ph.D. was conferred on him by the University of Vermont in 1877, and that of LL.D. by the University of Iowa in 1881. He was one of the editors of the International Cyclopoedia, and is the author of: Natural History (3 vols. 1869); Astronomy (1871); New Practical Arithmetic (1872); American Patriotism (1880); Charts for Teaching Reading (1899); Juvenile Arithmetic (1900). He died in 1903.

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

History of Rockingham, (Windham County) Vermont

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