Charles Herman Allen

Charles Herman Allen was born in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, on February 11, 1828, to parents Almon Allen and Polly Bates.{{Cite web |title=Principal Allen |url=https://www.sjsu.edu/people/annette.nellen/website/allen.htm |access-date=September 20, 2024 |website=www.sjsu.edu}} When he was young, a "spinal curve" developed which caused significant damage to his nervous system, and would follow him for the rest of his life. He initially attended common schools of the area, before dropping out of his secondary education after only a single semester due to health issues. Initially, guided by his physicians away from further academic work, he became a cutler, however after a local teacher resigned due to illness, he began teaching for additional income, and found a passion for teaching. He then re-enrolled in secondary education, attending Westfield Academy and earning a New York Teacher's Certificate, while continuing to teach in New York common schools, and work as a cutler during the vacations.{{Cite book |last=James Miller |first=Guinn |url=https://goldennuggetlibrary.sfgenealogy.org/scball.htm |title=History of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties, California |publisher=The Chapman Publishing Co., Chicago |year=1904 |pages=402–403 |chapter=Prof. Charles H. Allen}}{{Cite book |last=San Jose State College |url=https://archive.org/details/historicalsketc01roycgoog/page/n126/mode/2up |title=Historical sketch of the State normal school at San José, California |date=1889 |publisher=Sacramento, J. D. Young, supt. state printing |others=University of California |pages=117–121}}

In 1851, he moved to McKean County in Pennsylvania, where he became the principal of a Smethport School.{{Cite book |last=Gilbert |first=Benjamin Franklin |title=Pioneers for One Hundred Years: San Jose State College 1857-1957 |publisher=Literary Licensing, LLC |year=1957 |isbn=9781258343118 |edition=1st |pages= |chapter=Chapter 5: The Normal School's Golden Years}} He served as principal until 1854 when a decline in his health necessitated his resignation. His recovery took multiple years, during which he worked as a land surveyor. After his recovery, he became the associate principal of a normal school in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

On June 29, 1854, Allen married Abigail Ann Phelps. The two had four children together.{{Cite book |url=https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/ATBRN7J5M47FFL8J/pages/AOZ2YO2B5VUAOK8V |title=The Wisconsin alumni magazine |publisher=University of Wisconsin |date=June 1904 |volume=5 (9) |pages=307–309 |chapter=Charles H. Allen }}

In the summer of 1859 Allen was invited to Madison, Wisconsin, by Henry Barnard, the Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin, to help organize a series of teachers' institutes designed to further develop prospective educators. Allen initially spent only that summer in Wisconsin before returning to Pennsylvania. However, after Barnard's resignation in 1860, Allen was offered and accepted positions as an agent for the State Board of Normal Regents and as the director of the teachers' institutes at the university.{{Cite web |date=August 8, 2017 |title=Allen, Charles Herman(?) 1828 - 1904 |url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS4778 |access-date=October 24, 2024 |website=Wisconsin Historical Society |language=en}}

For the 1860–61 academic year he taught at a private normal and high school in Madison, with the intent to continue running the teachers' institute in the summer, however, at the outbreak of the American Civil War, the teachers' institute program was canceled. Allen then became the Madison school superintendent, working for a $250 annual salary {{USDCY|250|1861}} on the stipulation that he could continue teaching classes. During this period, Allen first met and mentored John Muir, who would become a prominent environmentalist. The two would become close friends for the rest of their lives, sharing a passion for the natural sciences.{{Cite book |last=Kohrs |first=Donald G. |url=https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/12063616 |title=Chautauqua, the nature study movement in Pacific Grove, California |date=2015 |publisher=Pacific Grove |edition=First |chapter=Chapter 5: Five college institutions located in the San Francisco bay area |pages=83–86}}

In 1863 the University of Wisconsin saw declining enrollment due to the ongoing Civil War. Allen, as normal regent board member, reasoned that opening the university to women would help alleviate the issue and fought to departmentalize the existing education classes. Several students, alumni, and faculty opposed allowing female enrollment, but on March 16, 1863, the normal department opened anyway, with Allen as principal. In 1930, the normal department he founded would become the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education.{{cite book |last1=Cronon |first1=E. David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=55c-Ur5inUsC&pg=PA95 |title=The University of Wisconsin: A History, 1925–1945 |last2=Jenkins |first2=John W. |publisher=University of Wisconsin Press |year=1994 |isbn=0-299-14430-5 |volume=3}}

Despite its recent founding, the normal department was briefly suspended after the 1863–64 academic year when Allen and 30 of his senior students enlisted in the 40th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment as Hundred Days Men for the still-ongoing Civil War. Allen served as the captain of Company D, which marched to and defended, Memphis, Tennessee.{{Cite web |title=Soldier Details: Allen, Charles H. |url=https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-soldiers-detail.htm?soldierId=57E2757A-DC7A-DF11-BF36-B8AC6F5D926A |website=National Park Service}}{{Cite web |date=August 27, 2012 |title=40th Wisconsin Infantry History |url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS2242 |access-date=October 11, 2024 |website=Wisconsin Historical Society |language=en}}

In January 1865, with his health failing him yet again, Allen issued his resignation from the university. His resignation was initially effective at the end of the school year; however, he stayed an additional semester, leaving the university at the end of the calendar year, 1865. For six months after his resignation, he worked in a life insurance office in Cincinnati, Ohio, before being invited by the State Board of Normal Regents to serve as the first principal of the state's first normal school in Platteville, Wisconsin, an offer he accepted. This school would come to be known as the Platteville Normal School, and later the University of Wisconsin–Platteville.{{cite web|url=https://catalog.uwplatt.edu/undergraduate/platteville-campus/|title=Platteville Campus|work=University of Wisconsin–Platteville|access-date=December 8, 2024}}

File:Charles_Herman_Allen,_1868-69.tifThe Platteville Normal School opened on October 9, 1866, with Allen as one of five full-time faculty members. Attendance was 110 in the first year, with attempts made to solidify the academic foundation of the nascent institution, including the foundation of a literary society and the construction of additional buildings.{{Cite book |url=https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AHPM3JRYELSN228J/pages/AFGXRXO4YZ5UWG8F |title=During seventy-five years : a history of the State Teachers College, Platteville, Wisconsin, 1866-1941 |year=1941 |pages=79–82 |chapter=Chapter IV. A chronicle of seventy-five years}}

He served as the principal of the Platteville Normal School until 1870, when after a severe bronchitis attack, he decided to resign from the position. After his resignation, Allen moved to Portland, Oregon, to again recover his health thinking that the fresh air would benefit him. Once his health permitted, he started teaching classes in Portland, and helped to open the Bishop Scott Grammar School where he would serve as principal.{{cite book |last=Scott |first=Harvey Whitefield |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/HistoryOfPortlandOregon/page/n459/mode/2up |title=History of Portland, Oregon: with illustrations and biographical sketches of prominent citizens and pioneers |publisher=D. Mason & Company |year=1890 |location=Syracuse, NY |pages=396 |chapter=Educational Institutions}} He served as principal there for eight months between 1871 and 1872, before returning to Wisconsin to run a summer teachers' institute.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5_Vwe-eHfqsC&q=Charles+Allen |title=History of Santa Clara County, California |publisher=Alley, Bowen & Company |year=1881 |pages=681 |language=en |chapter=Biographies - San Jose Township}}

On October 7, 1872, Allen was hired by the California State Normal School (currently San Jose State University) in San Jose, California, as a teacher of natural sciences, music, and drawing.{{Cite book |last=Greathead |first=Sarah Estelle Hammond |url=https://archive.org/details/storyofinspiring00grea/page/134/mode/2up |title=The story of an inspiring past; historical sketch of the San José State teachers college from 1862 to 1928, with an alphabetical list of matriculates and record of graduates by classes |date=1928 |publisher=San José, Calif., San José State teachers college |others=Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center}} Because of his lengthy experiences in other states, he was quickly promoted, first to be the vice-principal in March 1873, and then principal on August 5 of that year. He quickly took a liking to California, chronicling the local plants and reestablishing his friendship with John Muir.

He acted quickly to organize the school and set new goals for the institution. On October 22, 1873, he released a report to the Board of Trustees titled "The Objects and Wants of the Normal School", which outlined his philosophy of a liberal education. The report stated that while in theory, a normal school should only focus on teaching its students how to teach, in practice, a teacher needs to have a strong background of fundamentals in order to properly understand material to then teach. The board unanimously adopted the report, and by November the California State Normal School opened a preparatory department, which gave general education to students who otherwise failed their entrance examinations.

Under Allen's early tenure, the California State Normal School saw great growth, including enrollment tripling to 300 by 1875, the school becoming independent from the San Jose Board of Education, the refounding of the California Teachers Association, and the addition of a 3rd year of coursework for the students.

File:Appendix_to_the_Journals_of_the_Senate_and_Assembly_of_the_session_of_the_Legislature_of_the_State_of_California_(1875)_(14597061738).jpg

In February 1880, the main building of the State Normal School caught on fire and was destroyed in the ensuing blaze. Allen and the board of trustees traveled to Sacramento, California, to appeal to the California State Legislature to issue $200,000 {{USDCY|200000|1880}} in emergency funds to finance the construction of a new building. This caused significant debate in the senate about the effectiveness of the school and if it would be better served elsewhere. The California State Senate voted to move the school to Los Angeles, but it was ultimately kept in San Jose after objections by the California State Assembly. The new building was approved with $100,000 in emergency funds and Allen oversaw the construction of the new building alongside architect Levi Goodrich.{{cite news |date=April 20, 1880 |title=Normal School, San Jose |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98088637/normal-school-san-jose/ |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322005644/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98088637/normal-school-san-jose/ |archivedate=March 22, 2022 |access-date=March 21, 2022 |work=Oakland Tribune |pages=3}} The building was completed in 1881. During this period, Allen attempted to issue his resignation from the State Normal School, citing the sharp criticism his administration received following the debate over moving the school after the fire, however he was persuaded to remain as principal by the California State Board of Education and the board of trustees.

In January 1881, immediately after the failed attempt to move State Normal School to Los Angeles, California State Senator J.P. West sponsored a bill to create a "Branch State Normal School" in Los Angeles. The bill was passed by both houses, and the southern branch opened in August 1882 with Allen serving as the nominal principal of the institution for its first year. In 1919, the Los Angeles State Normal School became the University of California, Los Angeles.

In 1887, Allen helped to found the Chico State Normal School (which later became California State University, Chico), though the institution was never under administrative control of the San Jose State Normal School.

On April 6, 1889, Allen issued his resignation from the California State Normal School, citing his continued poor health. His successor was Charles W. Childs.

After he retired from the California State Normal School, Allen moved to a fruit ranch in Wrights, California, in the Santa Cruz mountain range, and became a horticulturist. In 1892, he was appointed to be a special agent for the California State Board of Horticulture where he made an agricultural survey of Santa Clara County.

In 1893, he supervised a horticultural educational exhibit that was displayed in the California building at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. From 1898 until his death, he served as an assistant postmaster in San Jose.{{Cite news |date=August 16, 1904 |title=Professor Allen in a Precarious Condition |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/california/san-francisco/san-francisco-call/1904/08-16/page-2 |work=San Francisco Call |pages=2}}

Allen died on September 11, 1904, in San Jose, California after suffering a lung hemorrhage.{{Cite news |date=September 12, 1904 |title=Well-Known Educator is Called to Rest |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/california/san-francisco/san-francisco-call/1904/09-12/page-12 |work=San Francisco Call |pages=12}} His wife, Abigail, died on December 3, 1905, after suffering a broken hip.{{Cite web |title=Dec 04, 1905, page 7 - The San Francisco Examiner at Newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/457955053/?article=25060c89-63e5-4dcf-ac82-eb6e2a5d6382&terms=%22Charles%20H%20Allen%22 |access-date=December 2, 2024 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}

In his time, Allen was very well regarded by his peers. At his retirement in 1889, the San Jose State Normal School wrote that "California— the whole coast, in fact— owes him a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid." Before his death in 1904, alumni who studied under him at the University of Wisconsin wrote that "Prof. Allen was an inspiration to the teachers for careful, conscientious efforts along their line of work."

In 1960, San Jose State named Allen Hall in his honor, which served as a dormitory building until its demolition in 2003.{{Cite news |last=Blevins |first=Lee |date=January 22, 2003 |title=Dorms Demolished |url=https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/8797/ |work=The Spartan Daily |pages=1, 7}}

In 2007, Allen's home in Platteville contributed to the West Main Street Historic District, which was listed to the National Register of Historic Places.{{Cite web |date=February 22, 2007 |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form - West Main Street Historic Distric |url=https://www.platteville.org/sites/default/files/fileattachments/community_development/page/312/west_mainstreet_h.d.nr_form_2-22-07_version.pdf}}

{{Reflist}}{{San Jose State University presidents}}{{UCLA leaders}}{{University of Wisconsin–Platteville}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Charles Herman}}

Category:1828 births

Category:1904 deaths

Category:Schoolteachers from Pennsylvania

Category:19th-century American academics

Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty

Category:University of Wisconsin–Platteville faculty

Category:Presidents of San Jose State University

Category:Leaders of the University of California, Los Angeles

Category:Union army officers

Category:California postmasters

Category:Cutlers

Category:Schoolteachers from California