teacher, educator, b. Rowley, Mass. He grew up on a farm near Brunswick, Maine. He attended Lewiston Falls (Maine) Academy, and graduated from Bowdoin College (1844). In 1845 he moved west, and in 1846 to Wisconsin, settling in Platteville. Pickard was principal of Platteville Academy (1846-1860), and in 1853 participated in the founding of an educational organization that in 1854 became the Wisconsin State Teachers' Association. In 1859 he was elected state superintendent of public instruction, serving in this capacity from Jan., 1860, until his resignation in Sept., 1864. During his administration, Pickard promoted the raising of teacher standards and requirements, and played an important role in unifying the state's educational program. He secured passage of a bill (1861) establishing the county superintendent system of state school administration, and, in an effort to raise the state's educational standards, utilized the Wisconsin Journal of Education (old series) as a medium of communication with local school districts. This journal, founded in Janesville (1855) as the Wisconsin Educational Journal, was restyled Wisconsin Journal of Education and published in Racine as the organ of the State Teachers' Association (1856-1858); from 1859 to 1865 it was published in Madison and distributed at the state's expense to each school district in the state. Pickard was president of the Univ. of Wisconsin board of regents (1862-1865). Resigning his position as state superintendent in 1864, Pickard moved to Chicago, served as Chicago superintendent of schools (1864-1877), and from 1878 to 1887 was president of the State Univ. of Iowa at Iowa City. He retired from active teaching about 1889, and after 1900 lived in retirement at the home of his daughter in Cupertino, Calif. Wis. Mag. Hist., 6, 7; C. E. Patzer, Public Educ. in Wis. (Madison, 1924); Platteville Journal, Apr. 1, 1914; WPA MS.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the Josiah Little Pickard Writings for details.

View a related article at Wisconsin Magazine of History Archives.

View newspaper clippings at Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]