Homer Sprague

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Homer Baxter Sprague (October 19, 1829 – March 23, 1918) was an American author, educator, abolitionist, and a Union Army officer. He came from Sutton, Massachusetts, and lived to the age of 88.

Civil War service
Sprague joined the Civil War as a captain in the 13th Connecticut Infantry in 1861. He quickly rose to the rank of colonel. In 1864 he was captured by the Confederates and held as a prisoner of war. He was exchanged in 1865 and remained active in the Army until the war ended.

Education and school leadership
After the war, Sprague became a prominent educator. He served as president of Mills College in California from 1885 to 1887 and was appointed president of the University of North Dakota in 1887. Earlier, he led Adelphi Academy in New York as it opened to girls, and he helped introduce fire drills—the first in the United States school system.

Early life and education
Sprague attended Leicester Academy beginning in 1847, where he was valedictorian. He entered Yale University in 1848 to study law and literature. At Yale, he led the Linonian Society, edited the Yale Literary Magazine, and joined the Scroll and Key Society. He graduated with a BA in 1852 and was admitted to the bar in 1854.

Career and writings
After leaving Yale, Sprague worked as a lecturer and tutor while pursuing his master's degree. He wrote many articles and pamphlets with strong anti-slavery views. In 1856 he became the principal of the Worcester Classical and English High School in Worcester, Massachusetts. He also helped start the Martha’s Vineyard Summer Institute in 1878, the United States’ first summer school for teachers. Sprague practiced law in Worcester County and New Haven for a time.

Family and other notes
Sprague was a descendant of William Sprague, one of the founders of Charlestown, Massachusetts. He married Nettie Pardee, sister of Sarah Winchester of the Winchester rifle fortune.

Death
Homer Sprague died on March 23, 1918, at the age of 88.