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Hovey, Charles E. (Charles Edward), 1827-1897


  • [Charles E. Hovey (1827-1897) was the first president of the then named Illinois State Normal University (later known as Illinois State University). Before becoming president Hovey was employed in Peoria, Illinois as a principal and school superintendent. He later became the president of the Illinois State Teachers Association and a member of the first Illinois State Board of Education. Hovey soon became involved in the effort in Bloomington, Illinois to create the state's first public university. Illinois State Normal University was founded in 1857 with help from local leaders like Jesse W. Fell, David Davis, and Fell's friend Abraham Lincoln. Hovey became the university's first president, serving only for four years until 1861 when he was asked by President Lincoln to join the Union Army and fight in the American Civil War. Hovey was commissioned as a colonel and formed the 33rd Illinois Infantry, commonly known as the "Normal Regiment" as many of its soldiers were teachers and Hovey's former students. After the war Hovey moved his family to Washington, D.C. where he practiced law until his death on November 17, 1897. In his honor, a campus building was renamed Hovey Hall in 1959. As of 2015 Hovey Hall serves as the home for the university's administration faculty and staff.] Hovey was married to Harriette Farnham (Spofford) Hovey of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Their son Richard Hovey became a well-known poet, artist, and college professor. A distant cousin, Alvin Peterson Hovey, also served as a Civil War general. http://tempest.lib.ilstu.edu/Archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=1&q=

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    • Charles Edward

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  • Sources

    • found: Dr. JoAnn Rayfield Archives at Illinois State University, WWW site, viewed April 29, 2015:Charles E. Hovey Presidential Papers, 1880-1935 finding aid (Hovey, Charles E., 1827-1897) - http://tempest.lib.ilstu.edu/Archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=1&q=
    • found: Wikipedia, WWW Site, viewed April 29, 2015:Charles Edward Hovey (April 26, 1827-November 17, 1897; educator, college president, pension lobbyist and a brevet major general in the United States Army during the American Civil War; born in Thetford, Vermont; graduated from Dartmouth in 1852 then studied law and taught school; assisted in the organization of Illinois State [Normal] University, teaching the first classes and serving as president from 1857 to 1861; raised the 33rd Illinois Infantry; after the war, Hovey and his wife lived in Washington, D.C; became a successful pension lobbyist and practicing attorney; died in Washington D.C.) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Edward_Hovey

  • General Notes

    • [Charles E. Hovey (1827-1897) was the first president of the then named Illinois State Normal University (later known as Illinois State University). Before becoming president Hovey was employed in Peoria, Illinois as a principal and school superintendent. He later became the president of the Illinois State Teachers Association and a member of the first Illinois State Board of Education. Hovey soon became involved in the effort in Bloomington, Illinois to create the state's first public university. Illinois State Normal University was founded in 1857 with help from local leaders like Jesse W. Fell, David Davis, and Fell's friend Abraham Lincoln. Hovey became the university's first president, serving only for four years until 1861 when he was asked by President Lincoln to join the Union Army and fight in the American Civil War. Hovey was commissioned as a colonel and formed the 33rd Illinois Infantry, commonly known as the "Normal Regiment" as many of its soldiers were teachers and Hovey's former students. After the war Hovey moved his family to Washington, D.C. where he practiced law until his death on November 17, 1897. In his honor, a campus building was renamed Hovey Hall in 1959. As of 2015 Hovey Hall serves as the home for the university's administration faculty and staff.] Hovey was married to Harriette Farnham (Spofford) Hovey of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Their son Richard Hovey became a well-known poet, artist, and college professor. A distant cousin, Alvin Peterson Hovey, also served as a Civil War general. http://tempest.lib.ilstu.edu/Archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=1&q=

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    • 2015-05-18: new
    • 2017-12-20: revised

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