Higbie, Edgar Creighton (1875-1944)

Dates

• Existence: 1875 - 1944

Biography

Edgar Creighton Higbie was born in Berlin, Wisconsin, on July 31, 1875. In 1877, Higbie's family moved to a farm in southern Minnesota, and here he spent his childhood. He attended rural schools, and for seven years he clerked in a store in Green Lake, Wisconsin. He attended Ripon College Academy; taught school in Bluffton and Fairwater, Wisconsin; taught in a district in Mower County, Minnesota; was principal at Dexter and Clarkfield, Minnesota; and, superintendent of schools at Elmore, Minnesota. In the intervals of teaching, Higbie carried on his studies at the University of Minnesota, Carlton College, and the University of Chicago. He received an A.B. in 1907 and A.M. degree in 1909 from the University of Minnesota, and his PhD from Columbia University in 1921.

While superintendent of schools in Canby, Minnesota, Higbie established the first high school agricultural department in the state. From 1910-1917, he was Director of the West Central Minnesota School of Agriculture at Morris. He resigned to continue his graduate studies at the University of Chicago and Columbia University. During WWI, Higbie was employed by private philanthropists in New York to organize agricultural work for the rehabilitation of soldiers. He also worked for the Federal Board of Vocational and Agricultural Rehabilitation in New Work, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Higbie married to Nellie May Leslie of Brownsdale, Minnesota, on June 15, 1904. They had two sons: Howard Ernest and Leslie Warren.

In 1921, Higbie became the Presidency of Eastern State Normal School in Madison, South Dakota. While in Madison, Higbie served as the first President of the Madison Kiwanis Club. He was an active member of the Presbyterian Church and a member of the A.F. and A.M.

In March of 1931, Higbie resigned as President of Eastern State Normal School. He accepted the Presidency of J. Ormand Wilson Teachers College in Washington, D.C.

Higbie remained president, until 1941 when he gave up his administrative duties due to bad health. However, Higbie remained on the faculty as an assistant professor of education.

Higbie was known throughout the nation for his profound study of the sociological elements and implications of Teacher Education. He was noted for humanistic approach in the study of education and always emphasized the importance of setting up educational courses in scholarly sequence. He was President of District Education Association for many years. He authored two books: "A First Course in the Study of Education" and "An Objective Method for Determining Certain Fundamental Principles in Secondary Agricultural Education."

Higbie died from a heart attack at his home in Bethesda, Maryland, on November 24, 1944, at the age of 69. Higbie Hall, built in 1965, was an addition to the growing school and named after President Higbie.

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