Newton Bateman was born in Bridgeton, New Jersey on July 27, 1822. His father was a weaver who struggled with the growth of industrialization. He moved the family west when Bateman was eleven. His mother died of Asiatic cholera on their way to their new home in Meredosia, Illinois. The family continued to struggle through poverty. To help support the family, Bateman took a job as an errand-boy for a prominent jurist in Jacksonville, Illinois. He fell in love with the jurist's daughter, but was not of proper social class to ask her hand in marriage. However, this inspired Bateman to pursue an education.[1]
Bateman cut timber to raise money for schooling. He then attended the preparatory department of Illinois College before matriculating there in 1839. Bateman's classmates appreciated his sense of humor. He taught his first class while studying there, a Latin course for the preparatory department. Bateman graduated in June 1843, intending to become a Presbyterian minister. He briefly studied at Lane Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio, but was forced to drop out due to a lack of funds. He then worked for a book agency, selling maps, but again fell into poverty. An anonymous donor sent Bateman some money and he used the funds to build a private school in northern St. Louis, Missouri, in 1845. Although he continued to struggle financially, he earned a reputation as a local leader in education.[1]
In 1847, the University of Missouri hired Bateman as a professor of mathematics. When Jacksonville, Illinois, established a free school in its west district in 1861, it named Bateman its superintendent. He soon became school commissioner of Morgan County, Illinois, in Jacksonville. While there, he joined the state teacher's association and advocated for the creation of the Illinois Industrial University and the Illinois State Normal University. He was named vice president of the Illinois Teachers' Association in 1855 and edited its publication, the Illinois Teacher. He became the publications sole editor in 1858 and was named superintendent of the Jacksonville Female Academy.[1]
The Republican Party nominated Bateman for the office of Illinois Superintendent of Public Instruction. Bateman was elected and took office in January 1859. In his first term, he ensured that new schools must receive a state certificate to open. He was re-elected to another two-year term in 1861. He was defeated in a re-election bid in 1862, but was successful in another run in 1864. He would then hold the office for another decade. In his final year, he published an 83-page report suggesting a selection of books for school libraries.[1]
Bateman was offered the presidency of several colleges during his terms as state superintendent. In 1875, he agreed to assume the presidency of Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. He led the school for the next eighteen years. From 1877 to 1891, he was a member of the Illinois Board of Health. In failing health, he resigned in 1893, receiving a position as professor emeritus of the school. He taught only a singly class, spending most of his time compiling the Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois.[1]
Bateman married Sarah Dayton in 1850, though she died on May 16, 1857. They had a son, Clifford Rush, and one daughter. He married Annie N. Tyler in 1859; they had two daughters together and adopted an orphaned niece. She died in 1877. Bateman died in Galesburg on October 21, 1897.[1] He was buried there in Hope Cemetery.
He is the namesake of Newton Bateman Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois.[2]
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