Charles E. Sprague
Encyclopedia
Nassau (village), New York
Nassau is a village located in the Town of Nassau in Rensselaer County, New York, USA. The population was 1,161 at the 2000 census.The Village of Nassau is in the south part of the county in the Town of Nassau...
, Rensselaer County, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He was known as a Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
hero, and as a proponent of the constructed language
Constructed language
A planned or constructed language—known colloquially as a conlang—is a language whose phonology, grammar, and/or vocabulary has been consciously devised by an individual or group, instead of having evolved naturally...
Volapük
Volapük
Volapük is a constructed language, created in 1879–1880 by Johann Martin Schleyer, a Roman Catholic priest in Baden, Germany. Schleyer felt that God had told him in a dream to create an international language. Volapük conventions took place in 1884 , 1887 and 1889 . The first two conventions used...
, for which he authored the first major textbook in English, Handbook of Volapük (1888), as well as an early organizer of the accounting profession.
During the Civil War, Sprague served in the 44th New York Infantry, seeing action at the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, where his unit was instrumental in helping repulse attacks on Little Round Top. The New York State Archives stores a lengthy article Sprague wrote on his military service.
He was president of both the New York Institute of Accounts and the Union Dime Savings Bank (which later became the Dime Savings Bank
Dime Savings Bank of New York
The Dime Savings Bank of New York, originally Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn operated from 1859 to the late 20th century. It is not to be confused with Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh, also in Brooklyn...
). Later in life, he was involved in the movement for reform
Spelling reform
Many languages have undergone spelling reform, where a deliberate, often officially sanctioned or mandated, change to spelling takes place. Proposals for such reform are also common....
of English spelling as part of the Simplified Spelling Board
Simplified Spelling Board
The Simplified Spelling Board was an American organization created in 1906 to reform the spelling of the English language, making it simpler and easier to learn, and eliminating many of its inconsistencies...
, of which he was the first treasurer.
He was heavily involved in the development of the first state certification of accountants in the United States.
In 1953 he was inducted into Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
's Accounting Hall of Fame
Accounting Hall of Fame
The Accounting Hall of Fame is an award "recognizing accountants who are making or have made a significant contribution to the advancement of accounting" since the beginning of the 20th century. Inductees are from both accounting academia and practice...
.
Sprague was the maternal grandfather of science fiction author L. Sprague de Camp
L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors...
.