Jacob Bickler (November 29, 1849 – April 30, 1902) was a German-born American scholar and educator, who was president of the Texas State Teacher's Association. He was founder of the boys' Texas German and English Academy and the co-educational Bickler Academy, both located in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. In 1969,

Recorded Historic Texas Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the sta ...

6438 was placed at the site of the Goodman Building, noting the location on the second floor of Jacob Bickler's German and English academy.

Early life

Jacob Bickler was born on November 20, 1849, in

Bad Sobernheim Bad Sobernheim () is a town in the Bad Kreuznach district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'', and is also its seat. It is a state-recognized spa town, and is well known for two fossil discovery sit ...

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

, to Peter Bickler and his wife Katherine Schöffling Bickler. He received his early education in the public schools of Bad Sobernheim. Peter Bickler married a second time and moved to

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, where the teenaged Jacob joined the new couple in 1863. From 1863 to 1867, young Bickler attended Milwaukee high schools and Milwaukee Markham Academy College Preparatory School. In 1870, Bickler earned his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

pedagogics Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

from the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a Public university, public Urban university, urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropo ...

. He became fluent in six languages. From 1871 to 1872, Bicker was a

principal Principal may refer to: Title or rank * Principal (academia), the chief executive of a university ** Principal (education), the head of a school * Principal (civil service) or principal officer, the senior management level in the UK Civil Ser ...

in the educational system of

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 202 ...

Texas

On December 24, 1872, Jacob Bickler moved to Austin, Texas, and joined his uncle Philip Bickler in teaching at the Bickler German English Academy, where artist Carl G. von Iwonski had also once taught. Land Commissioner

Jacob Kuechler Jacob Kuechler (February 18, 1823 – April 4, 1893) was a surveyor, conscientious objector during the American Civil War, and commissioner of the Texas General Land Office. Kuechler pioneered the science of dendrochronology to date natural even ...

appointed Bickler assistant draftsman and calculator in the

Texas General Land Office The Texas General Land Office (GLO) is a state agency of the U.S. state of Texas, responsible for managing lands and mineral rights properties that are owned by the state. The GLO also manages and contributes to the state's Permanent School F ...

on April 1, 1873. On January 24, 1874, the date of Bickler's wedding, he resigned from the Texas General Land Office to resume his teaching career. In 1876, Bickler founded the Texas German and English Academy in Austin, a boys' school that remained in operation until 1902. In 1880, the Wahrenberger House in Austin was leased to Bickler. He operated the academy at this house. According to the Texas Historical Commission, the school was located here until 1886. Conflicting information, though, states that the academy was located in the Texas Military Institute Castle in Austin from 1884 to 1887. Bickler conceivably started the academy in the Wahrenberger House and kept his headquarters there, while moving the institute to the larger location as enrollment grew. In 1887, Bickler was elected president of the Texas State Teachers Association. He served as superintendent of

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

public schools 1887–1892. In 1892, he founded the co-educational Bickler Academy in Austin, which was located in the Goodman Building until 1897. In 1969,

6438 was placed at the site of the Goodman Building, noting the location on the second floor of Jacob Bickler's German and English academy. In summer months, Bickler taught classes at both Fredericksburg and

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a worker who lays bricks to assist in brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutti ...

. Bickler was a member of the summer faculty at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

. He was a leading proponent for establishment of the 1891 College of Education at the university.

Personal life and death

On January 24, 1874, Bickler married Martha Lungkwitz, daughter of artist Hermann Lungkwitz. The couple had nine children, eight of whom survived infancy. Jacob Bickler died in Austin on April 30, 1902, and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Austin, Texas.

Memberships

Ancient Order of United Workmen The Ancient Order of United Workmen (AOUW) was a fraternal organization in the United States and Canada, providing mutual social and financial support after the American Civil War. It was the first of the "fraternal benefit societies", organizati ...

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college st ...

*President (1886–1887), Texas State Teacher's Association

Memorials

*1902 Jacob Bickler Medallion, artist

Elisabet Ney Bernadina Wilhelmina Elisabeth Ney (January 26, 1833 – June 29, 1907) was a German-American sculptor who spent the first half of her life and career in Europe, producing portraits of famous leaders such as Otto von Bismarck, Giuseppe Garibaldi ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bickler, Jacob 1849 births 1902 deaths American educators American educational theorists German-American history Prussian emigrants to the United States German-American culture in Texas Burials at Oakwood Cemetery (Austin, Texas) Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni