Tag Archives: Teacher Politicians

Ben Grussendorf: Accomplished Social Studies teacher and politician

Posted on by

Government and social studies teacher Ben Grussendorf served ten terms in the Alaska State House of Representatives. Photo Credit: Anchorage Daily News

Many talented educators also make superb politicians. This is certainly true of Ben Grussendorf, a social studies teacher from Alaska who served in his state’s House of Representatives.

Benjamin Franklin Grussendorf was born on February 23, 1942, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. As a young boy, he enjoyed idyllic summers at the family’s cabin on Pokegama Lake. He often referred to those times as his “Tom and Huck days.”

After his graduation from high school in Grand Rapids, Ben enrolled at the University of Minnesota. There he earned first his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and then his Master’s degree in Political Science Education. In 1966, he moved to Alaska, where he accepted a position as a government and social studies teacher at Sitka High School. He also taught political science at Sitka Community College.

The accomplished educator entered politics in 1971 when he accepted a position on the Sitka Charter Commission. That experience led him to a position on the Assembly for the new municipality. He also served as the Deputy Vice Mayor. He was elected Mayor of Sitka, a position he held from 1975-1979.  During these years, he was also the President of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.

In 1981, Ben was elected to the Alaska State House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. Altogether, Ben was elected to serve his constituents for ten terms—that’s 20 years—in the position. During these years, he also served three terms as the Speaker of the House.

In his spare time, Ben was an active member of many organizations. These included the Lions; the Sitka Chamber of Commerce; the Alaska Native Brotherhood; the Elks; the Moose; the Pioneers of Alaska; and the Sons of Norway.

This amazing teacher and politician passed away on June 17, 2011. He was 69 years old. To read more about him, follow this link to the obituary published in the Anchorage News.

Former educator LK Atwood served in the Mississippi State Legislature

Posted on by

Former educator Louis Kossuth (LK)  Atwood also served two terms as a state legislator for the state of Mississippi. (Photo Credit: Mississippi State Legislature.

Many fine classroom teachers also make excellent politicians. One of these was Louis Kossuth (LK) Atwood. In addition to his work as an educator, LK served as a state legislator in the state of Mississippi.

LK was born into slavery in Wilcox County, Alabama, on Dec. 15, 1850. When he was only 18 months old, he was sold at a slave auction. He was purchased for $300 by his own mother, who then took him with her when they relocated to Ohio. As a young boy, LK went to school in Ripley, Ohio. In 1874, he earned his Bachelor’s degree at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. During these years, he was also ordained as a Presbyterian minister.

Once LK earned his degree, he accepted a teaching position in Bolton, Mississippi. Later he studied law and was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1879. He then opened his own law practice in Bolton where he specialized in insurance law. In fact, he established precedents before the Mississippi State Legislature several times.

LK was elected on the Republican ticket to the Mississippi House of Representatives, where he represented Hinds County for two terms. The first was from 1880 to 1881, and the second was from 1884 to 1885. After he left the legislature, LK appointed to a position as a United States Internal Revenue Service collector where he worked until 1899. In addition, he was named a delegate to attend the Republican National Convention several times.

The former teacher also had experience in the business world. He founded the fraternal insurance company known as the Sons and Daughters of Jacob of America in 1883. He ran this organization until his passing. He also helped establish the  Southern Bank in Jackson and served as its president. He was president of the Mississippi Negro Bankers Association.

Sadly, LK passed away on Jan. 8, 1929, in Jackson, Mississippi. He was 78 years old. He is interred at Mount Olive Cemetery in Jackson, Mississippi.

 

Arkansas educator Jimmy Jeffress was also a capable politician

Posted on by

Retired music educator Jimmy Jeffress served in both the state Arkansas House of Representatives and the State Senate. Photo Credit: Arkansas State Legislature

Many excellent educators have also experienced success in the political arena. One of these is Jimmy Jeffress, a retired teacher and politician from Arkansas. After he left the classroom, he served his community in both the Arkansas House of Representatives and the Arkansas State Senate.

Jimmy was born on Sept. 19, 1947, in Monticello, Arkansas. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of Arkansas at Monticello in 1971. He earned his Master’s degree in Music Education from Northeast Louisiana University in 1986. In addition, he completed coursework through the Kennedy School of Government program at Harvard University.

After earning his degrees, Jimmy taught music education courses in Crossett Public Schools in Crossett, Arkansas. His career as an educator spanned 28 years, from 1971 through 1999. During those years, the outstanding educator garnered recognition for his work in the classroom. In both 1994 and 1998 Jimmy was named the Choral Director of the Year by the Southeast Arkansas Choral Directors Association.

In 1996, Jimmy was elected to the Arkansas State House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. There he represented District 24 from 1997 to 2000. Following his terms there, he served in the Arkansas State Senate from 2001 to 2009. While in the state legislature, he served as the Chairman of the Senate Education Committee. He was also a member of the Committees for Children and Youth; Joint Budget; Joint Retirement and Social Security Systems; Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development; and Joint Energy. He also served as Chair of the Legislative Task Force on Athletic Trainers and as a member of the Task Force on Substance Abuse Treatment Services.

Jimmy earned honors for his work as a public servant, too. In 2001, he was chosen as the Legislator of the Year by the Arkansas Municipal League. In 2000, he garnered the Legislator of the Year Award from the Arkansas School Counselors Association.

Teacher and politician Lorna Herseth served as SD’s First Lady

Posted on by

South Dakota teacher Lorna Herseth served as her state’s First Lady, and later as the South Dakota Secretary of State. Photo credit: South Dakota State Historical Society

Many fine classroom teachers have also served as excellent politicians. This is certainly true of Lorna Buntrock Herseth, a teacher and politician from South Dakota.

Lorna Buntrock was born in Columbia, South Dakota, on April 5, 1909, the youngest of 11 children born to immigrants from Germany. As a young woman, she attended Northern State Teachers College in Aberdeen, South Dakota, where she earned both her Bachelor’s degree and her teaching credential.

Once she completed her education, Lorna taught in public schools in Brown County. In 1936. she was elected to the position of Brown County Superintendent of Schools. She later served on the Selby School Board. She taught in both rural and urban schools around the state.

In 1937, Lorna married her college sweetheart, Ralph Herseth, after having dated for many years. The couple farmed a ranch on the east side of Sand Lake near the town of Houghton for nearly 30 years. On this farm they raised wheat, corn, and Aberdeen Angus cattle. During these years, Ralph served as a South Dakota State Senator and in 1958-1960, was South Dakota’s 21st Governor and Lorna served as the state’s First Lady from 1959 to 1961. While Ralph was Governor, the first state-wide teachers’ retirement benefit program was established.

After Ralph’s death in 1969, Lorna continued her career in politics when she was elected on the Democratic ticket to serve as the South Dakota Secretary of State. She served two terms in this position, from 1973 to 1979. As if all this were not enough, Lorna also served on the Board of Directors for the Brown County Red Cross. She also served as the State Director of the Easter Seal Society.

Lorna passed away on September 8, 1994, at the age of 85. She is interred in Houghton Cemetery in Brown County, South Dakota.

Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was once a NYC teacher

Posted on by

Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was born into an aristocratic family, yet she worked as a teacher when she was a young woman and all her life she championed education for the underprivileged. Photo credit: National First Ladies Library

It is common knowledge that Eleanor Roosevelt was a popular First Lady who served our county during the presidency of her husband, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He served during the Great Depression and World War II. During that period, Eleanor worked tirelessly to advance her husband’s social and political agenda. But did you know that this great lady was a teacher before her marriage to FDR?

Eleanor Roosevelt was born into an aristocratic family in New York city. Her mother died when Eleanor was quite young, and her father was an alcoholic. As a child, she was socially and physically awkward and starved for attention. When her father also passed away, young Eleanor became a ward of her maternal grandmother.

Eleanor was educated by private tutors until she was 15 years old. Then her grandmother sent her to private finishing school, the Allenswood Academy, in England. There Eleanor flourished under the guidance of the school’s headmistress, Marie Souvestre, who encouraged social responsibility and independence for young women. When Eleanor completed her formal education at age 18, she returned to New York City. There she made her social debut in 1902, according to the customs of her social class.

After Eleanor’s debut, she shunned the social life of a debutante that her family expected her to follow. Instead, she turned her boundless energy into progressive projects that helped improve the lives and working conditions of immigrants and those living in poverty. She joined an organization known as the Junior League, and helped established a community center known as the Rivington Street Settlement House on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The center specialized in teaching life skills and vocational skills. Many of the center’s clients were children who worked long hours in the confined spaces of sweat shops. These children did not have many opportunities to engage in physical exercise and movement. To help them improve their health, Eleanor worked as a dance teacher and calisthenics instructor.

Because of her work at the Junior League, Eleanor Roosevelt found her voice as a social activist long before she became First lady. Her work at there was the start of a career in public service that extended even after she left the White House.

To learn more about this amazing historical figure, see this link at the National First Ladies Library.