Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
OLDT, Franklin T.
OLDT, Franklin T. (New Berlin, PA-- ). Educator. At the age of eighteen, Oldt graduated from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. He taught for two years and then was chosen to be the principal of the Winnebago school in Winnebago County, Illinois. He was the superintendent of the Lanark school in Illinois for seventeen years; served as superintendent in Green Bay, Wisconsin for one year and moved Freeport, Illinois for two years. He was once a nominee for State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Illinois.
On April 19, 1894 a resolution to employ a superintendent was introduced at the board of education meeting in Dubuque and was adopted on May 18th. On April 22, 1895 James Kirk was elected but resigned before beginning his duties. Franklin T. Oldt was then appointed the first superintendent of the Dubuque public schools. There was much opposition to the creation of the position.
In January, 1904, F. T. Oldt served as chairman of the committee on phonetic spelling at the State Teachers' Convention in Des Moines. He introduced resolutions, which were adopted, endorsing the simplified spelling of such words as thoro, thru, demogog, thorofare, etc.
Franklin T. Oldt resigned on February 1, 1910 and was replaced by James H. Harris on May 1, 1910. Oldt was the editor of History of Dubuque County, Iowa published by the Goodspeed Historical Association in 1911.
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Source:
Oldt, Franklin T. History of Dubuque County. http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/franklin-t-oldt/history-of-dubuque-county-iowa-being-a-general-survey-of-dubuque-county-histor-tdl/page-22-history-of-dubuque-county-iowa-being-a-general-survey-of-dubuque-county-histor-tdl.shtml