Ohio History Journal

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490 Ohio Arch

490     Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications

 

DR. JACOB ALBRIGHT SHAWAN.

Dr. Jacob A. Shawan, for many years recognized as

one who had attained high place among educators of

Ohio, died at his home near DeGraff, Logan County,

Ohio, May 4, 1927. He was born in Wapakoneta, June

15, 1850; was reared on a farm; educated in the public

schools of Urbana, Ohio; and was graduated from

Oberlin College in 1880. He received his M. A. degree

from Oberlin College in 1883, and the honorary degree

of Ph. D. from Muskingum College in 1894.

Dr. Shawan taught in the Pretty Prairie District,

Urbana Township, before entering Oberlin College, and

in Mad River Township in Champaign County. In

1880, he was appointed superintendent of the schools at

St. Marys, Ohio. In 1833, he became superintendent of

schools in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. In 1889, he was called to

the superintendency of the schools of Columbus, Ohio,

a position which he held for twenty-seven years and

from which he retired at his own request in 1916.

Dr. Shawan's long service as superintendent of the

Columbus schools forms an era in the educational prog-

ress of the capital city of Ohio. When this service

began the schools of the city were conducted in twenty-

three buildings and the pupils numbered 11,000. When

he retired, there were fifty-six schools with 29,000 pupils

attending.

In the schools of Columbus, Dr. Shawan inaugu-

rated manual training, domestic science, the kinder-

garten schools, and the open air school. The latter was

established in cooperation with the Columbus Society

for the Prevention and Cure of Tuberculosis. He was