Rex Putnam
{{short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Rex Putnam
| image = Rex Putnam portrait.jpg
| imagesize = 110px
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1890|6|7}}
| birth_place = Buffalo Gap, South Dakota U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1967|5|17|1890|6|7}}
| death_place = Portland, Oregon
| office = Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction
| term_start = September 1, 1937
| term_end = January 31, 1961
| governor = Charles Martin
Charles A. Sprague
Earl Snell
John H. Hall
Douglas McKay
Paul L. Patterson
Elmo Smith
Robert D. Holmes
Mark Hatfield
| predecessor = Charles A. Howard
| successor = Leon P. Minear
| occupation = Educator
| party = Democratic
| relations =
| spouse = Elinor
| children =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
Rex Putnam (June 7, 1890 – May 17, 1967) was an American educator from the state of Oregon. A former classroom teacher and district superintendent, Putnam served as Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction for nearly 25 years, the longest-serving state school superintendent in Oregon history. Following his retirement in 1961, a new high school in his adopted hometown of Milwaukie, Oregon was named Rex Putnam High School in his honor.
Early life and career
Born in Buffalo Gap, South Dakota, Putnam received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oregon in 1915 and began teaching in Springfield, Oregon that year.{{cite web
|url=http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=632
|title=Superintendent Tenures
|publisher=Oregon Department of Education
|accessdate=August 19, 2011
|title=Retired Oregon educator dies after brief illness
|newspaper=The Oregonian
|date=May 19, 1967
|page=24
}} He taught high school science in Tacoma, Washington for five years before returning to Oregon, where he became superintendent of the Redmond School District in Redmond in 1923. He received a master's degree from the University of Oregon in 1929, and in 1932, he was named superintendent of schools in Albany. He would later receive a doctorate from Lewis & Clark College in 1945.
Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction
In 1937, Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction Charles A. Howard resigned to become president of Eastern Oregon Normal School (now Eastern Oregon University), and governor Charles Martin appointed Putnam to replace Howard.{{cite news
|title=Governor fills Howard vacancy
|newspaper=The Oregonian
|date=May 25, 1937
|page=1
}} In 1938, Putnam was elected to a full term as a Democrat. In 1942, the position was changed to non-partisan, and Putnam was re-elected five more times, each time unopposed. In his nearly 25 years as state school superintendent, Putnam was an active contributor to academic articles about education and an influential voice for Oregon schools among nationwide educational organizations. During his tenure, Oregon's educational system expanded to include vocational education programs, special needs and gifted education, programs for Native Americans, along with expanded curriculum and other programs. School funding issues were also a focus of Putnam's tenure.{{cite news
|title=Putnam recalls 23 years as state school superintendent
|newspaper=The Oregonian
|date=January 3, 1961
|page=11
}} He resigned from office in early 1961 due to health concerns.
Personal and legacy
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Putnam, Rex}}
Category:People from Custer County, South Dakota
Category:People from Milwaukie, Oregon
Category:Oregon superintendents of public instruction
Category:University of Oregon alumni
Category:Lewis & Clark College alumni
Category:Educators from Oregon
Category:Politicians from Tacoma, Washington