Abraham Crum Shortridge (October 22, 1833 – October 8, 1919) was an American educator who was

superintendent Superintendent may refer to: * Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exe ...

of the

Indianapolis Public Schools Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) is the largest school district in Indianapolis, and the second largest school district in the state of Indiana as of 2021, behind Fort Wayne Community Schools. The district's headquarters are in the John Morto ...

and the second president of

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and ...

Early life

Shortridge was born in Indiana in Henry County. 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 at Rush County's Fairview Academy and

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a ...

's Greenmount College.

Career

In 1854, Shortridge was part of the group of educators who founded the Indiana State Teachers' Association. In 1868, he served as President of ISTA.

Indianapolis

In 1861, Shortridge accepted a job in Indianapolis at the preparatory department of what is now

Butler University Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges: the Lacy School of Business, College of Communi ...

. While in Indianapolis, Shortridge served as the editor of several education journals and helped establish the

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

and a teachers' training school. 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 as

Shortridge High School Shortridge High School is a public high school located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Shortridge is the home of the International Baccalaureate and arts and humanities programs of the Indianapolis Public Schools district.(IPS). Original ...

in his honor. Shortridge urged the state to provide education for black students; such legislation was passed in 1869. Although this law required

racial segregation Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the Statute of the Intern ...

, Shortridge opened the city's schools to children of any race. In his eleven years as superintendent, the school system grew from 900 to 10,000 students and employed many female teachers.

Purdue University

The Purdue University Board of Trustees appointed Shortridge as the university's president on June 12, 1874. 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. In the second year, the university admitted its first female students and hired its first female instructor. Shortridge's poor health, near blindness, and disagreements with benefactor

John Purdue John Purdue (; October 31, 1802 – September 12, 1876) was a wealthy American industrialist in Lafayette, Indiana, and the primary original benefactor of Purdue University. Early life Most details of Purdue's early life were either not record ...

led Shortridge to resign from the university in November 1875. He then bought a farm near Indianapolis and became a justice of the peace in Warren Township.Schutt 1994, p. 1259.

References

Additional sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shortridge, Abram Crum Presidents of Purdue University School superintendents in Indiana People from Indianapolis Schoolteachers from Indiana 1833 births 1919 deaths People from Henry County, Indiana