Edwin C. Hewett

Edwin C. Hewett (November 1, 1828 – March 31, 1905) was a professor and president at Illinois State Normal University, now known as Illinois State University. He was a prominent president in the early years of the university and an outspoken advocate for equal education. Early life Hewett was born on November 1, 1828, in East Douglas, Massachusetts. He was the oldest child of Timothy and Lavina Hewett, and grew up in the Congregationalist church. Prior to his teaching career, he was a shoemaker for eight years until the age of 21. After a short stint in teaching, he entered the State Normal School in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, graduating in 1852. While at Bridgewater, he was taught by Richard Edwards, the second president of Illinois State University, then known as a normal school in Bloomington, Illinois. Career After he graduated, he worked at the Pittsfield, Massachusetts high school, the Bridgewater Normal School, and at a grammar school in Worcester, Massachusetts. In 1858, Hewett was hired at Illinois State University as the professor of history and geography. He also taught classes in math, literature, psychology, pedagogy, and spelling. As a professor of history and geography, he had high expectations of his students, with assignments consisting of drawing each continent from memory and knowing the area of Patagonia in square miles. In January 1876, he was appointed president of the university, a position he held until his departure in 1890. One of the actions Hewett took as president was to reduce the academic year at the normal school to thirty-six weeks. Hewett also hired the university’s first full-time librarian, Angeline V. Milner.