William Andrus Alcott
William Andrus Alcott was an influential educator, physician, and health reform advocate born in 1789 in Wolcott, Connecticut. His family's roots in the area trace back to original settlers, with Alcott himself growing up on a family farm. He began his career in education at a young age and later attempted to teach in the Carolinas before returning to Connecticut. After earning his medical degree from Yale in 1826, Alcott dedicated himself to improving educational practices, establishing a model school that incorporated innovative subjects like grammar and geography, and enhancing the learning environment with better facilities.
In addition to his educational endeavors, Alcott was a pioneer in children's literature, editing the first children's magazine in the United States, the Juvenile Rambler. His writings emphasized the importance of healthy living and educational reform, advocating for improvements in school conditions and personal health. He was married to Phebe Bronson, with whom he had two children, and he continued to contribute to various publications until his death in 1859 in Newton, Massachusetts. Alcott's legacy reflects a commitment to both education and health, leaving a lasting impact on American society.
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William Andrus Alcott
Writer
- Born: August 6, 1798
- Birthplace: Wolcott, Connecticut
- Died: March 29, 1859
- Place of death: Newton, Massachusetts
Biography
William Andrus Alcott was born in Wolcott, Connecticut, in 1789. His grandfather, John Alcox, was the original settler of Wolcott in 1731, and his mother, Anna (Andrus) Alcox was a descendant of William Andrus, an original settler of Waterbury, Connecticut. He later changed the family name from Alcox to Alcott. Alcott spent his youth working on the family farm in Wolcott. He attended the local district school, as well as a school taught by a parish minister during the winters. As a young student, he helped to organize a juvenile library with other boys from his town. At age eighteen, he was appointed to teach in his district, and he taught in various towns for the next four years. When he was twenty-two, he and his cousin Bronson Alcott headed to the Carolinas with plans to teach. However, this plan was unsuccessful, and by the time he was twenty-four, he was again teaching in Connecticut. He then went on to study at Yale’s medical school, which awarded him a license to practice medicine in 1826. After graduating from Yale, he set out to establish a model school in his hometown of Wolcott. He added grammar and geography to the curriculum, and flowers, plants, and maps to the schoolroom.
In 1836 he married Phebe Bronson, and they had a son and a daughter. He edited the Juvenile Rambler, the first children’s magazine in the country. He also edited Parly’s Magazine for four years and contributed articles to many other magazines advocating the importance of healthful living and suggesting ways to better one’s education. His interest in both education and health led him to work to improve the physical conditions of schools and the educational methods of the day, including expanding the curriculum. Among the reforms he advocated were better benches for students and better ventilation. He was an advocate of dietary and personal health reform and was a prolific writer of books and pamphlets on health. He died in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1859.