Homer Baxter Sprague (October 19, 1829 – March 23, 1918) was an American author, educator,

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

, and Lieutenant Colonel of the Union Army. A native of

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a List of United Kingdom locations: Stu-Sz#Su, location * S ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, Sprague was a Captain of the 13th Connecticut Infantry Regiment in 1861 when the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

began, and quickly rose to the rank of Colonel before being captured as a prisoner of war by the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

in 1864. In 1865 he was released in a prisoner exchange, and remained active within the military until the end of the war. He served as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University in Oakland, California is part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was relocated to Oakland in ...

in California from 1885 to 1887, and was appointed

of the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (UND) is a Public university, public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. It was established by the Dakota Territory, Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishm ...

in 1887. An early progressive voice in education, he served as president of Adelphi Academy in New York as it first opened its doors to female students. While there, he institutionalized the first

fire drill A fire drill is a method of practicing how a building should evacuate in the event of a fire or other emergencies. In most cases, the building's existing fire alarm system is activated and the building is evacuated by means of the nearest avail ...

s in the United States school system.

Education

Sprague attended Leicaster Academy beginning in 1847. He was valedictorian of his class, and in 1848 he entered Yale University to study law and literature. He was president of Yale's

Linonian Society Linonia, founded in 1753, is the second-oldest society at Yale College and the oldest surviving literary and debating society, outlasting its short-lived predecessor, Crotonia. Today, Linonia operates as a secret senior society at Yale, contin ...

, editor of the

Yale Literary Magazine The ''Yale Literary Magazine'', founded in 1836, is a student literary magazine that publishes poetry, fiction, and visual art by Yale University, Yale undergraduate education, undergraduates twice per year, academic year. Notable alumni feature ...

, and one of the original members of the Scroll and Key Society, a splinter of the infamous

Skull and Bones Society Skull and Bones (also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death) is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior-class society at the university, Skull and Bone ...

that separated in 1842 after a dispute within the organization regarding electoral practices. He was again the class valedictorian, graduating with a B.A. in 1852, and being admitted to the bar in 1854.

Early career

After leaving university, Sprague spent his time as a lecturer and tutor, while continuing his studies to earn his M.A.. He wrote prolifically, often published in newspapers, and published numerous articles and pamphlets displaying his fervent anti-slavery sentiments. His first position of significance was as principal of the Worcester Classical and English High School in

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

in July 1856. He was the originator of the enterprise which, in 1878, became Martha's Vineyard Summer Institute, the first summer school for teachers in the U.S. Sprague practiced law in Worcester County and New Haven for a few years, though he often remarked, "not long enough to do much harm!".

Family

Sprague is a direct descendant of William Sprague, one of the three Sprague brothers who chartered and founded Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1628 (annexed into Boston proper in 1874). Sprague was married to Nettie Pardee, sister of

Sarah Winchester Sarah "Sallie" Lockwood Winchester (née Pardee; June 4, 1839 – September 5, 1922) was an American Inheritance, heiress who amassed great wealth after the death of her husband, William Wirt Winchester, and her mother in law, Jane Ellen Hope. W ...

, heiress to the

Winchester rifle Winchester rifle is a comprehensive term describing a series of lever action repeating rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Developed from the 1860 Henry rifle, Winchester rifles were among the earliest repeaters. Th ...

fortune.

Bibliography

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sprague, Homer Baxter Union army colonels American abolitionists Presidents of Mills College Presidents of the University of North Dakota Adelphi University faculty People from Sutton, Massachusetts 1829 births 1918 deaths American Civil War prisoners of war Activists from California Military personnel from Massachusetts Cornell University faculty