Burt J. Woodbury Biography


	This biography appears on pages 485-486 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				PROFESSOR BURT J. WOODBURY. 

	Professor Burt J. Woodbury, superintendent of the public schools 
of Woonsocket and one of the state,s best known public-school 
educators, was born at Plover, Wisconsin, September 12, 1870. His 
father, Albert M. Woodbury, was a native of the state of New York, born 
in the year 1825. He removed to the west in 1850, settling in 
Wisconsin, and there he followed the business of a carpenter and 
builder. In 1883 he became a pioneer resident of Kingsbury county, 
Dakota territory, where he secured a homestead claim, but later he 
removed to Iroquois and entered the government service as a mail 
carrier between Iroquois and Clark. He died at the former place April 
4, 1890, when sixty-five years of age. His wife, who bore the maiden 
name of Sarah Faulkner, is a native of Pennsylvania and still survives, 
residing at Woonsocket at the age of seventy-five years. 

	Professor Woodbury was the second in order of birth in their 
family of six children. He acquired his education in the public schools 
of Wisconsin and South Dakota and also pursued a preparatory course in 
the Fremont (Neb.) Normal College. He taught school one season to 
procure funds to continue his education and then entered the Lincoln 
Normal University at Lincoln, Nebraska, where he was graduated with the 
class of 1893. He then returned to Iroquois, South Dakota, and was 
appointed superintendent of the public schools of that place. He proved 
an able educator, having the ability to impart clearly, concisely and 
readily to others the knowledge that he had acquired, and this led to 
his selection in 1898 for the office of county superintendent of 
schools of Kingsbury county, in which position he continued for two 
terms. From January until June, 1902, he acted as principal of the De 
Smet public schools and the same year was appointed superintendent of 
the public schools at Artesian, where he remained for four years. He 
was then elected county superintendent of public instruction in Sanborn 
county, occupying that position for four years, and during the 
succeeding four years he was superintendent of the public schools at 
Letcher. in 1914 he was appointed superintendent of the public schools 
of Woonsocket and so continues. His work has been characterized by most 
progressive methods. He has studied the needs of individual pupils and 
the plans for the improvement of the schools and his ready adaptability 
has enabled him to choose what is most worth while. He has done 
valuable work for the consolidation plan applied to district schools. 
In institute work he has taken a conspicuous and helpful part, having 
instructed in institutes at Sioux Falls, Mitchell, Watertown, Webster, 
Howard, De Smet and Woonsocket. In addition to his successful work in 
the field of education he has dealt extensively in real estate and farm 
lands, his optimism regarding the future of South Dakota leading him to 
invest in farm lands, which investments have been amply justified, 
excellent financial returns accruing therefrom. 

	In 1903 Professor Woodbury was united in marriage to Miss Nellie 
Vaughn, a daughter of Levi Vaughn, of Lincoln, Nebraska. Professor 
Woodbury is a republican in his political views nor does he study 
superficially the questions and issues of the day. On the contrary, he 
keeps well informed and his opinions are based upon a thorough 
understanding of important questions. Fraternally he is a Mason and an 
Odd Fellow and in the latter organization has filled all of the chairs. 
He exemplifies in his life the beneficent principles upon which those 
orders are founded. He is a member of the South Dakota Educational 
Association and served for six years as president of the reading circle 
of that organization. He holds to high ideals, whether in behalf of the 
schools, in citizenship or in individual relations, and he is one of 
the county's most useful and highly esteemed citizens.