William A. (William Augustus) Mowry

Raised in Massachusetts after his father died when he was very young, William Augustus Mowry built a long career in education that began in the 1840s. He studied at Phillips Academy, Brown University, and Bates College, and went on to become known as one of Rhode Island’s notable educators.

He taught in Providence, served on the Providence School Committee, helped lead the Rhode Island Institute of Instruction, and edited The Rhode Island Schoolmaster. In 1864 he founded a respected private boys’ school in Providence, later known as Mowry and Goff’s, and he also worked as superintendent of schools in Cranston, Rhode Island, and Salem, Massachusetts. Later in life he became managing editor of the Journal of Education in Boston.

Mowry also served in the Civil War in the state militia, eventually reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel. Alongside his school work, he wrote many books, especially on history and civics, and remained active in church, peace, and temperance causes. His memoir, Recollections of a New England Educator, offers a firsthand look at American education in the 19th century.