George W. Hoss
George Washington Hoss (November 6, 1824 – April 11, 1906) was an American educator who held several teaching and leadership roles. He served as the 8th Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1864 to 1868 and as the second president of the Kansas State Normal School (KSN) from July 1, 1871, to December 31, 1873.
Born in Brown County, Ohio, Hoss moved with his family to Indiana in 1836. He attended Indiana Asbury University, graduating in 1850. He began his career as principal of Muncie Academy (1850–1852), then taught mathematics at the Indiana Females College (1852–1856) and at Butler University (1856–1864). In 1864 he became Indiana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, resigning in 1868.
As president of the Kansas State Normal School, Hoss helped secure funding to expand the campus and oversaw growth to about 200 students. In 1872 state representatives visited the school and secured $50,000 for the institution, with the city of Emporia providing $10,000. In April 1873 he reported problems with some faculty and urged resignations; the Kansas Board of Regents rehired him and one other faculty member in May. In August 1873 he announced his resignation to become a professor at Indiana University, serving there through the end of the year.
After leaving Kansas, Hoss returned to Indiana to teach at Indiana University. In 1880 he moved to Topeka, Kansas, and bought The Educationist. He later taught at Baker University (1884) as professor and chair of the English Department. He and his second wife, May Engstrom, founded the Western School of Elocution and Oratory in Wichita, where they lived until his death.
Personal life: He first married Harriet J. Mitchell in 1850, and they had a son, Melville Mitchell, in 1853. Harriet died in 1886. In 1888 he married May Engstrom; they had a son, Wendell, in 1892.
He died in Wichita on April 11, 1906, at age 81.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:49 (CET).