Abraham Crum Shortridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 2ndPresident of Purdue University | |
| In office 12 June 1874 – 6 November 1875 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Owen |
| Succeeded by | John S. Hougham (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1833-10-23)October 23, 1833 |
| Died | October 8, 1919(1919-10-08) (aged 85) Crown Hill Cemetery and Arboretum, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Resting place | Section 15, Lot 74 39°49′05″N86°10′31″W / 39.8180453°N 86.1753292°W /39.8180453; -86.1753292 |
Abraham Crum Shortridge (October 22, 1833 – October 8, 1919) was an American educator who wassuperintendent of theIndianapolis Public Schools and the second president ofPurdue University.
Shortridge was born in Indiana inHenry County.[1] He was named for his maternal grandfather, Abraham Crum (1768–1836). He earned no college degrees and began his teaching career after a few months of study atRush County's Fairview Academy andRichmond's Greenmount College.[2]
In 1854, Shortridge was part of the group of educators who founded the Indiana State Teachers' Association.[3] In 1868, he served as President of ISTA.
In 1861, Shortridge accepted a job inIndianapolis at the preparatory department of what is nowButler University. While in Indianapolis, Shortridge served as the editor of several education journals and helped establish thepublic library and a teachers' training school.[4][5]
He became the superintendent of the city's public schools in 1863. This was the year that the state's supreme court reversed a previous decision that prohibited using local taxes to support public schools. Using this newly allowed tax revenue, Shortridge was able to extend the school year from three and a half to nine months and reopen several schools, including Indianapolis High School, which was later renamed asShortridge High School in his honor.[6]
Shortridge urged the state to provide education for black students; such legislation was passed in 1869.[7] Although this law requiredracial segregation, Shortridge opened the city's schools to children of any race.[8] In his eleven years as superintendent, the school system grew from 900 to 10,000 students and employed many female teachers.[9][10]
The Purdue University Board of Trustees appointed Shortridge as the university's president on June 12, 1874.[11] The 1874–1875 academic year saw the matriculation of Purdue's first students, the establishment of a preparatory academy for those unprepared for college-level work, and the awarding of the first degree to a Purdue graduate.[12] In the second year, the university admitted its first female students and hired its first female instructor.[13] Shortridge's poor health, near blindness, and disagreements with benefactorJohn Purdue led Shortridge to resign from the university in November 1875. He then bought a farm near Indianapolis and became ajustice of the peace inWarren Township.[14]