HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY.
—This firm was established about 1880 by Mr. H. O. Houghton and Mr. George H. Mifflin, with whom were associated Mr. M. M. Hurd and Mr. L. H. Valentine. They took over, either at that time or a little later, the business of various Boston publishers, namely, Ticknor & Fields, Hurd & Houghton, Houghton, Osgood & Company; Fields, Osgood and Company, James R. Osgood & Company, and Ticknor & Company. Some of these firms were first merged together and then with Houghton Mifflin Company, but practically all this took place before 1882. Ticknor & Company, however, became united with the business a little later.
The Educational Department of Houghton Mifflin Company was established in 1882 through the efforts of Horace E. Scudder and Henry N. Wheeler, encouraged by Mr. Henry O. Houghton, Sr. There were then published Colburn’s Arithmetic and certain Latin books, but Mr. Scudder had the idea that the great masterpieces of American literature, such as Evangeline, The Vision of Sir Launfal, Snow-Bound and other similar great classics which had recently come into the control of the firm, should be made available in cheap editions for school use. He became the general editor of the Riverside Literature Series which was then established, and which was pushed with vigor and energy by Henry N. Wheeler. Early in the 90’s the Department developed with the publication of Fiske’s History of the United States, Fiske’s Civil Government, and various collections of literature such as Masterpieces of American Literature. This necessitated further expansion and an office was opened in Chicago under the management of C. F. Newkirk, who was later succeeded by W. E. Bloomfield.
In 1902 J. D. Phillips, who had previously been connected with the Editorial Department of the house, was transferred to the Educational Department to do both agency and editorial work, and the Webster-Cooley Language Series was soon published.
Mr. Scudder died in 1902 and Mr. Wheeler in 1905, and the Department came under the management of Mr. Phillips and Mr. Davol. Franklin S. Hoyt, formerly Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Indianapolis, was invited in 1906 to join the firm and take charge of the editorial end of the work. The organization then established has remained practically unchanged until now. Henry B. Dewey, former Commissioner of Education of the State of Washington, is now manager of the Boston office of this Company.