John M. B. Sill | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Counsel-General to Korea[1] | |
| In office April 30, 1894 – September 13, 1898 | |
| President | William McKinley |
| Preceded by | Augustine Heard |
| Succeeded by | Horace Newton Allen |
| President of the Michigan State Normal College | |
| In office 1886–1893 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel Putnam |
| Succeeded by | Richard Gause Boone |
| Superintendent of Detroit Public Schools | |
| In office 1875–1886 | |
| Preceded by | Duane Doty |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 23, 1831 |
| Died | 1901 |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
John Malhelm Berry Sill (November 23, 1831[2]-1901) was American diplomat and educator who served as the United States Counsel-General to Korea, president of Michigan State Normal College (which is today known as "Eastern Michigan University"), and superintendent of Detroit Public Schools. He also served as a regent of the University of Michigan.
Educational career
Sill began a career as a teacher when he was 18. When he was 22, he began studying at the State Normal School at Ypsilanti, graduating in 1854, the first man to have done so. In 1867, he was appointed a regent of the University of Michigan.[2] He held this position through 1869.[citation needed]
In February 1875, after the retirement of Duane Doty, Sill was elected by the Detroit Board of Education to be the superintendent of Detroit Public Schools.[3] On July 28, 1881, the Detroit Board of Education approved Sill's plan to establish a normal school in Detroit, something that his predecessor had pushed unsuccessfully for throughout his tenure. That September, the Detroit Normal Training School for Teachers began offering classes at the city's only high school (located in the state's original capitol building). The school later became part of what is today Wayne State University.[4]
Sill served as Detroit superintendent until becoming president of Michigan State Normal College, a position he was elected to on July 22, 1886.[5] He held the college's presidency until 1893.[6][7]
Consul-General to Korea
Sill served as United States Consul General (ambassador) to Korea from 1894 to 1897, during a time that has been described as “one of the most turbulent periods of Korean history. Graduating from University of Michigan helped him to acquire the position as many of the members of the Department of State were alumni of the university.[8] During his tenure as Consul-General, Korea went through the Sino-Japanese War, the Gabo Reform, the murder of Queen Myeongseong, and King Gojong's refuge in the Russian legation.[9][10] He sought to maintain the independence of Korea and check the increasing Japanese influence by consistently asking America to enforce Japanese to withdraw from Korea. When Japanese became the victor of the war against China, Sill provided the American legation as a refuge for anti-Japanese officials.[8]
Legacy
Sill Hall at Eastern Michigan University, as Michigan State Normal is now known, is named for Sill.[7]
References
- ^ Korean Mission p. 32., p. 32, at Google Books
- ^ a b "Moderator topics". Google Bookd. 1900. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
- ^ "Michigan News". Newspapers.com. he Times Herald (Port Huron, Michigan). 27 Feb 1875.
- ^ "History". College of Education. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ "PROF. SILL'S NEW FIELD". Newspapers.com. Detroit Free Press. 23 Jul 1886. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ "EMU Presidents". emu. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
- ^ a b Virtual Tour: Sill Hall, Eastern Michigan University, archived from the original on 2013-01-04, retrieved 2012-07-11
- ^ a b 해외사료총서. "6. 씨일(John M. B. Sill, 재임기간：1894. 2～1897. 7)".
- ^ Lee, Claire (January 3, 2013). "19th century Korea seen through eyes of foreign women". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
- ^ Dorwart, Jeffrey M. (November 1975). "The Independent Minister: John M. B. Sill and the Struggle against Japanese Expansion in Korea, 1894-1897". Pacific Historical Review. 44 (4): 485–502. doi:10.2307/3638067. JSTOR 3638067.
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