Anna Tolman Smith
Anna Tolman Smith (January 4, 1840 – August 28, 1917) was a American educator, editor, and writer. She worked for the US Office of Education from 1879 until 1917, usually writing reports on comparative education topics. She was decorated by the French government for her work. Early life. Smith was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She graduated from the Boston Normal School in 1860. Career. In 1865, Smith and her sister, Abbie M. Condron, started Park Seminary, a girls' school in Washington, D.C. In 1879, she joined the Bureau of Education, a federal office. From 1886 to her death  in 1917, Smith wrote a monthly column, "Foreign Notes", for the journal "Education." She worked on the editorial staff on Paul Monroe's "Cyclopedia of Education", for which she also wrote over 30 articles. She spoke at meetings of the National Education Association. and served on the NEA's executive board. Smith attended the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900, as part of her work for the US Office of Education in Washington, D.C. While there, she was named an "Officier de l'Instruction Publique" by the French government. Publications. Smith wrote many published reports for the Bureau of Education. She  also wrote articles for scholarly and professional journals, including "The Journal of American Folklore", "The Elementary School Teacher", and "Journal of Education". Personal life. Smith died in 1917, aged 77 years, in Washington, D.C. In reporting her death, the "New England Journal of Education" noted that "Anna Tolman Smith was a great asset to the bureau of education, a notable figure in American education, a noble inspiration to educational leaders for half a century."