Brownell, Samuel Miller, 1900-1990

Educator.

From the description of Reminiscences of Samuel Miller Brownell : oral history, 1967. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 122362012

Samuel Miller Brownell was an educator and school administrator who served as U.S. Commissioner of Education from 1953-1956 and as Superintendent of Detroit Public Schools from 1956-1966. He was married to Esther Delzell Brownell.

From the description of Samuel Miller Brownell and Esther Delzell Brownell papers, 1900-2003. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 664268784

Samuel Miller Brownell was born in Peru, Nebraska, on April 3, 1900. He received a B.A. degree from the University of Nebraska in 1921, an M.A. from Yale in 1924, and a Ph.D. from Yale in 1926. Brownell was superintendent of schools in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, from 1927 to 1938. From 1938 to 1953, he was a professor of educational administration at Yale. He served as president of New Haven Teachers College from 1947 to 1953. Brownell served as the United States commissioner of education from 1953 to 1956 and was superintendent of schools in Detroit from 1956 to 1966. He returned to Yale University in 1966, accepting a joint position with the University of Connecticut as a professor, advisor, and consultant in the field of urban educational administration. Although his assignment at the University of Connecticut was completed in 1970, he continued his role at Yale University until 1973. Brownell died in 1990.

From the description of Samuel Miller Brownell papers, 1923-1986 (inclusive), 1966-1975 (bulk). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702192663

From the guide to the Samuel Miller Brownell papers, 1923-1986, 1966-1975, (Manuscripts and Archives)

American educator; United States commissioner of education, 1953-1956.

From the description of Samuel Miller Brownell papers, 1933-1979. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 754871711

Samuel Miller Brownell was born in 1900 in Peru, Nebraska. He received his B.A. from the University of Nebraska in 1921, his M.A. from Yale University in 1924, and his Ph.D. from Yale in 1926. Brownell was an educator, administrator, and consultant in the field of urban educational administration. His first professional post was at the New York State College of Teachers. From 1927 to 1938, he was Superintendent of Schools in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. In 1938, he joined the faculty of Yale as a professor of educational administration. From 1947 to 1953, he was President of New Haven State Teacher's College, concurrent with his work at Yale. He resigned both positions when he was appointed U.S. Commissioner of Education by President Eisenhower in 1953. His brother, Herbert Brownell, also worked for the Eisenhower administration, serving as U.S. Attorney General from 1953 to 1957. In 1956, Samuel Brownell left Washington to become Superintendent of Detroit Public Schools. He returned to New Haven in 1966, where he held a joint position at Yale and the University of Connecticut. He retired in 1973. In the mid 1970s, he served as a consultant for Development & Resources Corporation, which conducted the Iran Public Sector Management Program, a diagnostic review of Iran’s public sector. Brownell died in 1990.

Esther Delzell Brownell was born in 1902 in Syracuse, Nebraska. Her family moved to Peru, Nebraska in 1905. She attended Peru State Normal School for her primary and secondary education, graduating with a B.A. in English and Education in 1923. After graduation, she taught history at the high school level until her marriage to Samuel Brownell in 1927. The Brownells had four children: Richard, born in 1930, Dorothy, in 1932, Jane, in 1937, and Ruth, in 1944. Esther Brownell was active in a number of social and philanthropic organizations. She was a life-long member of P.E.O., a philanthropic educational organization; and while living in Detroit, she served on the Women’s Committee of the United Community Services and the Board of Directors of the YWCA; and she was a sponsor for students visiting the U.S. through the American Field Service’s international scholarship program. Esther Brownell died a year after her husband, in 1991.

From the guide to the Samuel Miller Brownell and Esther Delzell Brownell papers, 1900-2003, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)