born May 4, 1796, Franklin, Mass., U.S.
died Aug. 2, 1859, Yellow Springs, Ohio
U.S. educator, the first great American advocate of public education.
Raised in poverty, Mann educated himself at the Franklin, Mass., town library and gained admission to Brown University . He later studied law and was elected to the state legislature. As state secretary of education he vigorously espoused educational reform, arguing that in a democratic society education should be free and universal, nonsectarian, and reliant on well-trained, professional teachers. In his later years he served in the U.S. Congress (1848–53) and as first president of Antioch College, (1853–59) and he worked resolutely to end slavery .
Horace Mann
By courtesy of Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio