Rev. Dr. Libertus Van Bokkelen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1815-07-22)July 22, 1815 |
| Died | November 1, 1889(1889-11-01) (aged 74) |
| Occupation | Maryland State Superintendent of Schools |
| Spouse | Abigail D'arcy |
| Children | 5 |
Libertus Van Bokkelen (July 22, 1815 - November 1, 1889) was a reverend in theProtestant Episcopal Church and the first Superintendent of theMaryland State Department of Education.[1]
He was born on July 22, 1815 inNew York City.[2] He was the second oldest in a family of thirteen children. His paternal grandfather emigrated to the United States from Holland in 1796, having ben exiled from the French government for his support for theHouse of Orange-Nassau.
From nine years old, he received his education at various boarding schools, including the Union Academy inLong Island and theFlushing Institute inFlushing, Queens, where he was taught by ReverendWilliam Augustus Muhlenberg.[3]
When he was 22, he helped establish St. Paul's College inCollege Point inLong Island, along with ReverendWilliam Augustus Muhlenberg.[1][4][3] The school later became the Preparatory School of St. Paul's College.
In 1842, at age 27, he took Holy Orders at theProtestant Episcopal Church. He would later on combine the roles of his minister work with that of his educational work.
In 1845, he became rector of St. Timothy's Church inCatonsville, Maryland.[5][6][3] He then helped establishSt. Timothy's Hall there,[7] which became one of the best private schools in the South, with distinguished alumni such asJohn Wilkes Booth, four Civil War generals, and BishopJohn Henry Ducachet Wingfield.[8] It was the first theological military academy in the country.[9] Van Bokkelen baptized John Wilkes Booth at the school.[10]
Van Bokkelen was known by some students at the school as "Mr. Pan" for his flute playing ability, although John Wilkes Booth, who also played the flute, only referred to him as "Van."[11] He was a strict disciplinarian, publishing a list of 99 rules that included prohibitions on drinking, smoking, firearms, playing cards, and swearing.[11]
During his time at St. Timothy's, he also served other churches, including churches inElkridge Landing andEllicott City, Maryland until those churches became self-supporting.[1]
He was offered and declined positions in several states, including Tennessee, Missouri, and California.[1] He was also offered and declined a position as President ofSt. John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe) and the Agricultural School nearBladensburg, Maryland.[12]
He was the School Commissioner for the First District ofBaltimore County Public Schools from 1859 to 1965[12] and acted as Visitor of the Catonsville school.
He was aUnion sympathizer during theAmerican Civil War. In 1861, when the Union troops went through Baltimore and the citizens were getting ready to defend their positions, they went for the cannons at St. Timothy's Hall. To their dismay, the cannons had been "spiked," which credit has been given to Reverend Van Bokkelen. He had been planning to expand the school in 1861, but those plans did not come to fruition as most of the students were part of theConfederate States Army.
He was a steadfast abolitionist.[13] In speaking after the Civil War, he stated, "Thank god I have lived to see slavery abolished, and America the home of the free!"[2]
In 1864, he left St. Timothy's Hall because of conflicts with the Confederate sympathizing patrons of the school,[14] and accepted a position at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church inPittsfield, Massachusetts. Major General Lew Wallace proclaimed that no services would be held at St. Timothy's Church again except by a "successor of undoubted loyalty."[14]
In 1864, the Maryland Committee on Education of the new thirdMaryland Constitution of 1864 started the Maryland State System on Public Schools and created the position ofMaryland State Superintendent of Public Instruction.[1] The chairman of the committee, Hon. Joseph M. Cushing personally had Van Bokkelen in mind when creating the position, and GovernorAugustus Bradford appointed him as the first superintendent of the Maryland public school system.
He was also principal ex officio for the Maryland State Normal School (later called Towson University) from 1864 until 1867.[9] The Normal School was an educational institution for the instruction of teachers.[9]
The Maryland constitution provided that the state superintendent of public schools had to, within thirty days, provide a report on the uniform system of free public schools.[1] He studied both private and public school systems inNew Britain, Connecticut,Boston,Albany, andNew York City. He submitted his report to the Maryland Legislature on February 2, 1865. His plan was to have a uniform system of public schools that would allow students to be admitted into any of the public schools in the state, and a uniform curriculum in science, the classics, and mathematics, with the added ability to add other specialties, which would allow for admission into higher education pursuits in Law, Medicine, and the Mechanical Departments of the State University. His higher education plans never came to fruition, but his plans for public schools form the basis of Maryland's public school system today.
At the December 5, 1867, meeting of the Maryland Association of School Commissioners, when it became official that the connection with the public school system would end soon, they made a Resolution which stated[1]
"It is our firm belief, that when these sources of misunderstanding shall have passed away, the name of Dr. Libertus Van Bokkelen will be placed as high as the highest on the list of men identified in America with its greatest glory - free popular education."
He helped colored schools gain much needed funding.[3] He was met with great opposition for his advocacy for colored schools to utilize taxes for their funding. As a result of his advocacy, between 1866 and 1869,Anne Arundel County Colored Schools received funds and teachers from the New England Freedman’s aid Society, theAmerican Missionary Association, and others. In Anne Arundel County, colored schools received the greatest assistance from theBaltimore Association for the Moral and Educational Improvement of the Colored People, for which Van Bokkelen was a member.
He was further involved in education outside of Maryland. In 1866, he was elected Director of the National Teachers Association, the predecessor to theNational Education Association.[9] He then became Secretary of the NTA in 1868 and then President in 1869.
In 1871, he became rector of theSt. John's Protestant Episcopal Church and head of the Jane Grey School atMount Morris, New York, a Village nearBuffalo, New York.[1] In 1873, he was appointed rector of the Trinity Church in Buffalo, which position he held for twelve years.[2] In Buffalo, he was a leading advocate forCivil Rights Reform and a member of the Society for the Promotion of Religion and Learning.
In 1852 he married Abigail D'arcy and they had five children. One of his sons became a minister like him.[2]
He died onAll Saints' Day, November 1, 1889 and was buried inChicago.
On May 25, 1960,Towson University named the former Lida Lee Tall Building after Van Bokkelen.[9] It is now known as Van Bokkelen Hall.
Van Bokkelen Elementary School inSevern, Maryland is named after him.[3] The school was dedicated in 1973.
He received honorary degrees of Doctor of Laws fromLafayette College andFranklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania.[2]