William Torrey Harris.
William Torrey Harris was born North Killingly, Connecticut, September 10, 1835. He was educated in local common schools and academies, and for two and a half years was a member of the Yale college class of 1858, but left before graduating. In 1857 he went to St. Louis, where, for some time, he acted as teacher, principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent of public schools. At the Paris exposition of 1878 thirteen volumes of reports prepared by Mr. Harris, and contributed to the educational exhibit of the United States, attracted such attention that he was given the honorary title of officier de l’Academie. The reports were placed in the pedagogical library of the Paris ministry of public instructions. When Mr. Harris resigned, in 1880, on account of failing health, the city of St. Louis presented him with a gold medal and a purse of $1000. He next visited Europe, representing the United States bureau of education at the international congress of educators held at Brussels in 1880. In 1889 he again represented the United States bureau of education at the Paris exposition, and on December 12 of the same year he was appointed United States commissioner of education and removed to Washington, D. C. Mr. Harris has contributed many educational articles to the magazines and was the founder of the Journal of Speculative Philosophy.