Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction
Former elected office in the state government of Indiana
The superintendent of public instruction was an elected office in the state government of Indiana . The official was an elected member of the executive branch of government and worked with the state Board of Education as head of the Indiana Department of Education to oversee certain areas of public schools in Indiana . The position was created in 1851 with the adoption of the Constitution of Indiana , and filled in the first general election following its creation. The position of the Superintendent of Public Instruction was abolished in 2021, being replaced by the Secretary of Education, who is appointed by the governor.[ 1]
The annual salary of the superintendent of public instruction of Indiana was $94,538.[ 2]
List of superintendents
Democratic
Whig
Republican
#
Name
Took office
Left office
Party
Hometown
Notes
1
William C. Larrabee
November 8, 1852
November 8, 1854
Democratic
Crawfordsville
2
Caleb Mills
November 8, 1854
February 10, 1857
Whig
Crawfordsville
3
William C. Larrabee
February 10, 1857
February 10, 1859
Democratic
Crawfordsville
4
Samuel L. Rugg
February 10, 1859
February 10, 1861
Democratic
Allen County
5
Miles J. Fletcher
February 10, 1861
May 10, 1862
Republican
Putnam County
[ 3]
6
Samuel K. Hoshour
April 15, 1862
November 25, 1862
Republican
Wayne County
[ 4]
7
Samuel L. Rugg
November 25, 1862
March 15, 1867
Democratic
Allen County, Indiana
8
George W. Hoss
March 15, 1865
October 17, 1868
Democratic
Indianapolis, Indiana
[ 5]
9
Barnabas C. Hobbs
October 26, 1868
March 15, 1871
Republican
Bloomingdale, Indiana
10
Milton B. Hopkins
March 15, 1871
August 17, 1874
Democratic
Kokomo, Indiana
[ 3]
11
Alexander C. Hopkins
August 20, 1874
March 15, 1875
Democratic
Milroy, Indiana
[ 4]
12
James H. Smart
March 15, 1875
March 15, 1881
Democratic
Fort Wayne, Indiana
13
John M. Bloss
March 15, 1881
March 15, 1883
Republican
Evansville, Indiana
14
John W. Holcombe
March 15, 1883
March 15, 1887
Democratic
Valparaiso, Indiana
15
Harvey Marion LaFollette
March 15, 1887
March 15, 1891
Republican
Boone County, Indiana
16
Hervey D. Vories
March 15, 1891
March 15, 1895
Democratic
Nineveh, Indiana
17
David M Geeting
March 15, 1895
March 15, 1899
Republican
Clinton County, Indiana
18
Frank L. Jones
March 15, 1899
March 15, 1903
Republican
Howard County, Indiana
19
Fassett A. Cotton
March 15, 1903
March 15, 1909
Republican
Henry County, Indiana
20
Robert J. Aley
March 15, 1909
January 1, 1910
Democratic
Owen County, Indiana
[ 5]
21
Charles A. Greathouse
January 1, 1910
March 15, 1917
Democratic
Mount Vernon, Indiana
22
Horace D. Ellis
March 15, 1917
March 15, 1919
Republican
Vincennes, Indiana
23
Linnaeus N. Hines
March 15, 1919
October 1, 1921
Republican
Noblesville, Indiana
[ 5]
24
Benjamin J. Burris
January 1, 1921
November 1, 1924
Republican
Washington, Indiana
[ 4] [ 5]
25
Henry N. Sherwood
March 15, 1924
March 15, 1927
Republican
Franklin, Indiana
26
Charles F. Miller
March 15, 1927
September 1, 1927
Republican
Elkhart County, Indiana
[ 5]
27
Roy P. Wisehart
September 1, 1927
March 15, 1931
Republican
Union City, Indiana
[ 4]
28
George C. Cole
March 15, 1931
December 31, 1933
Democratic
Lawrenceburg, Indiana
[ 5]
30
Floyd I. McMurray
January 1, 1934
March 15, 1941
Democratic
Thorntown, Indiana
[ 4]
31
Clement T. Malan
March 15, 1941
March 15, 1947
Republican
Terre Haute, Indiana
32
Ben H. Watt
March 15, 1947
March 15, 1949
Republican
Noblesville, Indiana
33
Deane E. Walker
March 15, 1949
March 15, 1951
Democratic
Culver, Indiana
34
Wilbur E. Young
March 15, 1951
March 15, 1959
Republican
Osgood, Indiana
35
William E. Wilson
March 15, 1959
March 15, 1967
Democratic
Jeffersonville, Indiana
36
Richard D. Wells
March 15, 1967
March 15, 1971
Republican
Valparaiso, Indiana
37
John J. Loughlin
March 15, 1971
March 15, 1973
Democratic
South Bend, Indiana
39
Harold H. Negley
March 15, 1973
June 6, 1985
Republican
Indianapolis, Indiana
40
H. Dean Evans
June 6, 1985
January 11, 1993
Republican
Indianapolis, Indiana
41
Suellen Reed
January 11, 1993
January 12, 2009
Republican
Rushville, Indiana
42
Tony Bennett
January 12, 2009
January 19, 2013
Republican
New Albany, Indiana
43
Glenda Ritz
January 19, 2013
January 9, 2017
Democratic
Carmel, Indiana
44
Jennifer McCormick
January 9, 2017
January 11, 2021
Republican
Yorktown, Indiana
Notes
See also
Sources
Funk, Arville L (1983) [1969]. A Sketchbook of Indiana History . Rochester, Indiana : Christian Book Press. pp. 212–213.
Executive Legislature Judiciary Departments Local government Law
https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana_Superintendent_of_Public_Instruction