William Torrey Harris was born North Killingly, Connecticut, September
10, 1835. He was educated in local common schools and academies, and
for two and a half years was a member of the Yale college class of
1858, but left before graduating. In 1857 he went to St. Louis, where,
for some time, he acted as teacher, principal, assistant superintendent
and superintendent of public schools. At the Paris exposition of 1878
thirteen volumes of reports prepared by Mr. Harris, and contributed to
the educational exhibit of the United States, attracted such attention
that he was given the honorary title of officier de l’Academie. The
reports were placed in the pedagogical library of the Paris ministry of
public instructions. When Mr. Harris resigned, in 1880, on account of
failing health, the city of St. Louis presented him with a gold medal
and a purse of $1000. He next visited Europe, representing the United
States bureau of education at the international congress of educators
held at Brussels in 1880. In 1889 he again represented the United
States bureau of education at the Paris exposition, and on December
12 of the same year he was appointed United States commissioner of
education and removed to Washington, D. C. Mr. Harris has contributed
many educational articles to the magazines and was the founder of the
Journal of Speculative Philosophy.