The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1911-03-16


spoken of him as the father of free
schools in Wisconsin; and so he was.
1t is said to be a historic fact that
the village of Southport had the first
free public school, outside of New
England, in the United States. Colonel
Frank came from the state of New
York to Southport in 1889, when 50
years old. He became deeply interest
ed in the community and exerted him.
self in various ways for its moral and
intellectual upift. He was strong
temperance and anti-slavery man, and
church worker. He held various of
fees in the village and county-Was
superintendent of schools and for sew
eral terms member of the territorial
council, which body corresponded to
our state senate. In 1861 he was
member of the assembly. He was the
first president of the village of South
port and the first mayor of Kenosha.
introduced bill, in 1S43, for the estab-
lishment of free schools in Wisconsin,
but he could not prevail upon his fell
low member to pass it. In 1916 he got
a bill passed to allow the village of
Southport to open a free public school,
provided the people of the community
would by vote approve such action. At
the first meeting held for this purpose
there was opposition SO violent that
the meeting broke up in confusion. This
was on the 9th day Of March, 1916.
Some men raised the cry: "No tax to
educate my neighbors' children" and
that defeated the proposition. But on
the 23rd of the following June a school
meeting was held at which it was
"voted to raise $500 to pay arrearages
on the school house and for defraying
the expenses of summer school;' and
that summer school, sixty-six years ago
next summer, was the first free pub
lie school in America outside of New
England. Colonel Frank had to fight
hard for it. And the present fine
school system of Kenosha is the direct
descendent of that free school.
When Wisconsin became state Col
onel Frank was chosen, with two others,
to revise the territorial laws and adapt
them to the recently adopted constitu-
ton. Because Of his peculiar fitness
for the work, to him was assigned the
revision of the school laws He then
proceeded to formulate free school
law in accordance with the intent Of
the newly-adopted state constitution.
Though there was some objection to the
report, it was finally adopted by the
Legislature, and that was the beginning
of our free school system in Wiscon-
sin. Colonel Frank was for six years a
regent Of the state university. He was
in particular a newspaper writer, and
was postmaster of Kenosha five and a
half years, having been appointed to
that position by President Lincoln. He
died in The city for which he had done
so much, December 26, 1894, at ninety
years Of age.
Here is an interesting matter con-
corning Colonel Frank. In his native
village, Virgil, Cortland county, New
York, in 1926, when only twenty-five
years old, he delivered the 4th of July
grafton, fifty years after the adoption
of the declaration of independence. In
1876 he was invited to come back home
and speak on the Tooth birthday of our
independence. This he did, and it is
day not only the orator of the occas-
ion but the reader Of the declaration
Of independence, the chaplain and the
marshal Of the day were the same men
who had thus oficiated fifty years be-
fore.
When one goes up to the high school
room at Kenosha the first picture he
sees is that of Colonel Frank. Tt is a
strong, vigorous face, one that betok-
ems marked personality It may be
seen here, also, in the gallery of the
state historical society.
One Of the strong men who left his
impress upon the schools and people
of Kenosha was John G. McMynn. He
taught there from 1S48 to 1853, and
then went to the schools in Racine.
Later he served as colonel Of the 10th
Wisconsin infantry. From 1864 to
1868 he was state superintendent of
schools He died in Madison, June 5,
1900.
Another educator of Kenosha before
the war was Professor Robert Graham.
He was principal of the high school
and later captain of Company G of the
39th Wisconsin infantry. Judge Jo-
seph V. Quarles was lieutenant in
that company. Professor Graham was
for long time normal school teach
er and institute conductor and from
1882 to 1887 state superintendent. He
was an educational leader in our state.
HEADS STATE BOWLERS.