Charles William Bardeen
Encyclopedia
Charles William Bardeen was an American
educator and publisher. He devoted his career to improve the education system of the United States. He was the father of Charles Russell Bardeen and grandfather of two-time Nobel Prize
winning physicist John Bardeen
. He was referred to as C.W. by the later generations of Bardeens.
to an abolitionist family. He left school at the age of fourteen to enlist in the American Civil War
, where he signed up as a drummer boy. He was a poor drummer and because of that, he spent the Civil War as a fifer. After the end of the Civil War, he worked his way through Yale University
, and graduated from Yale in 1869.
in 1871. C.W. moved his family to Syracuse, New York
in 1874. He established his own publishing company, School Bulletin Publications, that year. He became managing editor of the School Bulletin in 1874 and retained that position for almost fifty years. The magazine became a forum for expressing his strong views on the importance of quality education. In the 1880s and 1890s, C.W. made a number of trips to Europe and northern Africa, and he wrote up his travel adventures for the Bulletin.
C.W. took positions of national leadership in the National Education Association
and the Educational Press Association of America. He was invited for membership the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geographical Society, and the American Social Science Association.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
educator and publisher. He devoted his career to improve the education system of the United States. He was the father of Charles Russell Bardeen and grandfather of two-time Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winning physicist John Bardeen
John Bardeen
John Bardeen was an American physicist and electrical engineer, the only person to have won the Nobel Prize in Physics twice: first in 1956 with William Shockley and Walter Brattain for the invention of the transistor; and again in 1972 with Leon Neil Cooper and John Robert Schrieffer for a...
. He was referred to as C.W. by the later generations of Bardeens.
Early life
C.W. was born in 1847 in Groton, MassachusettsGroton, Massachusetts
Groton is a town located in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 10,646 at the 2010 census. It is home to two noted prep schools: Groton School, founded in 1884, and Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1793. The historic town hosts the National Shepley Hill Horse...
to an abolitionist family. He left school at the age of fourteen to enlist in the American 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...
, where he signed up as a drummer boy. He was a poor drummer and because of that, he spent the Civil War as a fifer. After the end of the Civil War, he worked his way through Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, and graduated from Yale in 1869.
Career
After completing his graduation, C.W. found employment as a vice-principal and teacher, and held several positions as school principal, superintendent, and college English professor until 1873. His son Charles R. Bardeen was born in Kalamazoo, MichiganKalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
in 1871. C.W. moved his family to Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
in 1874. He established his own publishing company, School Bulletin Publications, that year. He became managing editor of the School Bulletin in 1874 and retained that position for almost fifty years. The magazine became a forum for expressing his strong views on the importance of quality education. In the 1880s and 1890s, C.W. made a number of trips to Europe and northern Africa, and he wrote up his travel adventures for the Bulletin.
C.W. took positions of national leadership in the National Education Association
National Education Association
The National Education Association is the largest professional organization and largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college students preparing to become...
and the Educational Press Association of America. He was invited for membership the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geographical Society, and the American Social Science Association.