David Perkins Page

Who was David Perkins Page?

David Perkins Page was an American educator and author of the most popular 19th-century American education textbook. From 1844 to 1847, he served as the first principal of the New York State Normal School, which later became University at Albany, SUNY.

Page was born to a farm family in Epping, New Hampshire on July 4, 1810. As a child, he begged his father to let him attend the nearby Hampton Academy, but his father refused, because he did not consider a school education necessary for a farmer. However, after Page contracted a nearly fatal illness in 1826 at the age of 16, his father relented. Page then attended the academy for a few months at age 17, advanced sufficiently to obtain a teacher's license, and taught for a term in local schools in order to fund his further studies. He then returned to the Hampton Academy and studied for an additional year.

In the winter of 1829, at the age of 19, Page began teaching in a country school in Newbury, Massachusetts. After the winter term, he founded his own private school, beginning with five pupils. In March 1832, he was chosen to become Associate Principal of the new Newburyport high school, where he headed the English Department.