Frank M. (Frank Morton) McMurry

Born in Indiana in 1862, Frank Morton McMurry became an influential American educator, author, and educational theorist. He studied at the University of Michigan and later in Germany, where he earned a Ph.D., and he became known as one of the early American advocates of Herbartian ideas in education.

McMurry taught at several institutions during his career, including Teachers College, Columbia University. He wrote widely on teaching methods and school subjects, especially geography, and his textbooks were used by many students and teachers in the early 20th century. His work focused on helping teachers make lessons more organized, meaningful, and closely tied to children's experience.

He died in 1936, but his writing still offers a window into a period when American education was being actively rethought and modernized. He is also remembered alongside his brother, Charles Alexander McMurry, who was likewise prominent in education.