Eleazer Root (March 6, 1802July 25, 1887) was an American educator and Episcopalian priest from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, who moved to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

as a young man and spent much of his career and adult life there. He served a term in the

Wisconsin Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

and was appointed as the first

Superintendent of Public Instruction A state education agency or state department of education is the state-level government organization within each U.S. state or territory responsible for education, including providing information, resources, and technical assistance on educationa ...

. Because of his health, in his last years he moved to

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabit ...

, serving as rector of Trinity Parish from 1874 to 1884. Root is considered as one of the founding fathers of Wisconsin and was also instrumental in organizing the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

as a member of the first board of regents.

Early life and education

Born in

Canaan, New York Canaan is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 1,570 at the 2020 census, down from 1,710 at the 2010 census. The town is in the northeastern part of the county. History The first settlers arrived around 1759 ...

, Root graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kille ...

. He was admitted to the New York bar. After moving briefly to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

, Root moved to Waukesha,

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...

, where he helped found the present

Carroll University Carroll University is a private university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Established in 1846, Carroll was Wisconsin's first four-year institution of higher learning. History Prior to its est ...

. Root took Holy Orders in the Episcopal Church and was ordained to the priesthood. In 1847, Root served in the second Wisconsin Constitutional Convention and was responsible for authoring Article X of the present

Wisconsin Constitution The Constitution of the State of Wisconsin is the governing document of the U.S. State of Wisconsin. It establishes the structure and function of state government, describes the state boundaries, and declares the rights of state citizens. The W ...

. Largely unchanged to this day, Article X provides for a uniform system of public schools, creates the elected office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to supervise public instruction in every school district, establishes a

state university A state university system in the United States is a group of public universities supported by an individual state, territory or federal district. These systems constitute the majority of public-funded universities in the country. State unive ...

at the seat of government, and prescribes

principal Principal may refer to: Title or rank * Principal (academia), the chief executive of a university ** Principal (education), the office holder/ or boss in any school * Principal (civil service) or principal officer, the senior management level in ...

and restricted uses to Wisconsin's school trust funds. From 1849 until 1852, Root was appointed and served as the first

Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin The Superintendent of Public Instruction, sometimes referred to as the State Superintendent of Schools, is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the Wisconsin state government, and acts as the executive head of the Department of ...

. Root was a member of the Whig Party. In 1852, Root was elected and served a term in the Wisconsin State Assembly. He also served as superintendent of schools in

Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Fond du Lac County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 104,154. Its county seat is Fond du Lac. The county was created in the Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and later organized in 1844. Fond du L ...

. He then moved to Texas and taught languages in

Guadalupe County, Texas Guadalupe County (, ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 172,706. The county seat is Seguin. The county was founded in 1846 and is named after Guadalupe River. Guadalupe County is pa ...

, until he returned to Wisconsin after the start of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

. For a time, Root lived in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, whic ...

. Because of his health, he moved to

, where he served as rector of Trinity Parish from 1874 to 1884. He died in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Root, Eleazer People from Canaan, New York People from St. Augustine, Florida Clergy from St. Louis People from Guadalupe County, Texas People from Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Politicians from Waukesha, Wisconsin Williams College alumni Carroll University faculty New York (state) lawyers Educators from Wisconsin American Episcopal priests Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 1802 births 1887 deaths Superintendents of Public Instruction of Wisconsin 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American Episcopalians 19th-century American clergy