John Davis Pierce (February 18, 1797 – April 5, 1882) was an American minister, educator and politician. He was Michigan's first superintendent of public schools, a position new to the United States, where he established Michigan's public school system. His work has been compared to that of

Horace Mann Horace Mann (May 4, 1796August 2, 1859) was an American educational reformer, slavery abolitionist and Whig Party (United States), Whig politician known for his commitment to promoting public education, he is thus also known as ''The Father of A ...

's. Before his public service career, he attended

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

and

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...

, and became an ordained minister of the Congregational Church. When he moved to Michigan as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

, he became involved in Michigan politics and ultimately designed the state's public school system as part of their organization for statehood. After his superintendency, he was elected to the state legislature and served on Michigan's 1850 constitutional convention before retiring to his farm outside

Ypsilanti Ypsilanti ( ), commonly shortened to Ypsi ( ), is a college town and city located on the Huron River in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north ...

for the last thirty years of his life.

Early life and career

John Davis Pierce was born February 18, 1797, in

Chesterfield, New Hampshire Chesterfield is a New England town, town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,552 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It includes the villages of Spofford, New Hampshir ...

. His father died when he was young, and his lack of money limited his education; By age 20, Pierce committed himself to 'self-education'. He later attended Brown University, graduating in 1822, and taught briefly before attending

. In 1825, he was ordained a minister of the

Congregational church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

, and was hired as pastor in

Sangerfield, New York Sangerfield is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 2,561 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Jedediah Sanger, an early settler. The Town of Sangerfield is on the county's southern border. Geography Acco ...

, soon moving on to pastor in

Goshen, Connecticut Goshen is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,150 at the 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region. Geography Goshen is in central Litchfield County and is bordered to the ea ...

. But, as he was a Freemason, Pierce lost both those posts during the

Anti-Masonic Party The Anti-Masonic Party was the earliest Third party (United States), third party in the United States. Formally a Single-issue politics, single-issue party, it strongly opposed Freemasonry in the United States. It was active from the late 1820s, ...

of the late 1820s. Pierce married Millicent Estabrook on February 1, 1825. He migrated to

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

as a missionary, settling in

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

, a frontier town, in 1831. He planned a public education system for Michigan as the territory readied itself to enter statehood, and served as Michigan's first superintendent of public instruction from 1836 to 1841, It was the first position of its kind in the United States. His objectives were many and far-reaching: he coordinated the state's elementary schools, created state school districts with individual libraries, set professional qualifications for teachers, sold public land for public education, and planned the creation of the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. He founded the

Great Lakes region The Great Lakes region of Northern America is a binational Canadian– American region centered on the Great Lakes that includes the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and the Ca ...

's first professional education journal, ''The Journal of Education'', and served as its editor from 1838 to 1840. A Brown University library exhibit calls Pierce "the

of Michigan". Pierce's vision and work combined

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretar ...

s with a public university, which the Brown exhibit describes as an achievement that "surpass sMann's in breadth and comprehensiveness". Pierce returned to his pulpit in 1841. In 1847, he was elected to the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

, and was most notably involved with legislation opening Michigan's first normal school. He served on Michigan's 1850 constitutional convention before leaving state government. Other than his brief service as school superintendent for Washtenaw County from 1867 to 1868, Pierce lived his 30-year retirement on his farm outside Ypsilanti. In 1880, he and his wife moved to live under the care of their daughter in

Medford, Massachusetts Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus on both sides of the Medford and Somervill ...

, where he died on April 5, 1882.

Legacy

John D. Pierce Middle School in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, John D. Pierce Middle School in

Redford, Michigan Redford Township (commonly known simply as Redford) is a charter township in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Redford borders Detroit to the east, roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2 ...

, and John D. Pierce Middle School in Waterford, Michigan, are all named for him.

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, John Davis 1797 births 1882 deaths Delegates to the 1850 Michigan Constitutional Convention People from Chesterfield, New Hampshire Brown University alumni Princeton Theological Seminary alumni Politicians from Ypsilanti, Michigan People from Marshall, Michigan Members of the Michigan House of Representatives Michigan superintendents of public instruction American Congregationalist ministers American Freemasons University of Michigan people Educators from Michigan 19th-century American educators 19th-century American clergy 19th-century members of the Michigan Legislature