Jonathan Baldwin Turner (December 7, 1805 – January 10, 1899) was a classical scholar, ordained minister, professor, campaigner for the abolition of slavery, and political activist.

He was an early voice calling for land grant universities. ^{[1] [2]} In 1835, Turner married Rhodolphia Kibbe, and they eventually had seven children. ^{[3] [4]}

Turner was the author of "A Plan for an Industrial University" for the state of Illinois's Farmer's Convention at Granville in 1851. ^[5] He had laid out a plan for a national grant for each state to have an industrial and mechanical college. ^[6] A similar plan was later introduced in the Senate by Senator Justin Morrill and became law as the Morrill Land-Grant Act in 1862. ^[7]

Early life

Turner was born December 7, 1805, outside of Templeton, Massachusetts to farming parents, Asa Turner and Nabby Baldwin. He was educated in local schools before attending and graduating from Yale College (University). He was a student of classical literature at Yale, and excelled in Greek and English composition. After being ordained as a minister and graduating in 1833, he moved to Illinois after being summoned to fill a professor position at the newly organized Illinois College at Jacksonville. ^[8] He taught subjects across the whole curriculum, but specialized in Belles-lettres, Latin, and Greek. ^[8] Students of his, the Green brothers, brought him in contact with Lincoln who, at this time, was still in his youth and was helping with the harvest on the Green Family farm. Lincoln had heard of Turner's teaching and became interested in it. ^[9]

Educational activism

Turner's views in favor of the abolition of slavery were a subject of growing controversy. ^[10] In 1848 he resigned from his teaching post as chair of Belles-lettres, Greek, and literature at Illinois College. He created the Illinois Industrial League to advocate for a publicly funded system to provide "industrial" education, suited for the needs of the working ("industrial") classes. ^[11]

Turner continued to advocate for his model of education. ^[12] A similar plan introduced by Justin Morrill became law as the Morrill Land-Grant Act in 1862. ^[13]

Turner was displeased with the political process that saw the University of Illinois (or Illinois Industrial University, as it was originally named) located in Urbana, Illinois. ^[1] Turner spoke at the laying of the university's cornerstone, ^[14] and his words "Industrial education prepares the way for a millennium of labor" remain in stone above the university's main square. ^[15]

Agricultural research

Turner was an agriculturist who improved agriculture and established the use of a thorny Osage orange tree, "the hedge apple tree" variety, which he developed. ^[16] At this time there were very few trees on the prairies to set up split rail fences. While a professor at Illinois College, Turner began to search for a plant that might serve as a hedge to divide, cultivate the expanse of the prairie and contain livestock. He was inspired by the hedgerows in England, ^{[17] [18]} and got seeds from Texas which he experimented with on his own farm in Butler, Illinois. ^[18] In the late 1830s, Turner selected the Maclura pomifera (the Osage orange) as an ideal plant for this purpose, and patented a machine for preparing the soil and planting these seeds. ^{[19] [20]} Turner then advertised and sold Osage Orange seeds, which were widely used as hedges before the development of barbed wire between 1867 and 1874. ^[21] Even after barbed wire was introduced, farmers still used their Osage orange trees as fence posts, connecting the barbed wire directly to the tree trunks. The wood from this tree is strong and decay resistant, and lasts for decades. ^[20]

Abolitionist and conductor of the Underground Railroad

Turner became the editor of a Jacksonville abolitionist paper probably during the 1840s, an assistant with the Underground Railroad, and, in the classroom, a vocal opponent of slavery. ^{[22] [23]} Turner and his wife hid three black slaves for two weeks. ^[24] His life was threatened many times due to his beliefs about the abolition of slavery. ^[24] He believed that the only way to fight slavery was with pen, tongues and the lawmaking process. ^[25]

Later years

In his later years, Turner devoted his energy to other causes. After passage of the Morrill Act in 1862, Turner turned his energy toward battling the power of corporations, which he described as a conflict between the "natural" and "artificial man". ^[26] In addition, Turner was a Trustee for the mentally ill in Illinois' hospitals. ^[27]

Jonathan Baldwin Turner became an advocate for the religious and spiritual aspects side of each individual person. As an ordained minister, he was affiliated early on with two Congregational churches, but his beliefs became increasingly unorthodox. ^[3] He also wrote religious tracts championing the liberal teachings of Christ, while criticizing Catholicism, Mormonism, and even the Presbyterian administration of Illinois College where he was a professor. Turner believed Christ's Creed was broad enough to save all of humanity. Turner wrote three books on Christ as well as his view of Mormonism. ^[28]

Legacy

Turner died on January 10, 1899, in Jacksonville, Illinois at the age of 93. There are various tributes and memorials made in his memory. A statue of Turner was erected at the University of Illinois, and Jonathan Turner Junior High School in Jacksonville, Illinois, was named for him as well. A centuries-old boulder with a bronze plaque was placed in Granville, Putnam County, Illinois, honoring the Granville Convention and Turner in 1923. ^[29] The bronze tablet commemorates the introduction by Turner of the first institutions for scientific industrial higher learning at the Granville convention in 1851. ^[30]

The Jonathan Baldwin Turner Scholarship at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provides $8,000 to a student over three years of college. ^{[31] [32]} The College of Aces (Jonathan Baldwin Turner Fellowships) are for doctorate candidates. ^{[33][ non-primary source needed]} Turner's papers are held by the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections of the University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign. ^[28]

References

Further reading

• Brown, Donald R. (1962). "Jonathan Baldwin Turner and the Land-Grant Idea". Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society. 55 (4): 370–384. ISSN  0019-2287.
• Carriel, Mary Turner (1911). The life of Jonathan Baldwin Turner. Cornell University Library. A primary source by his daughter.
• Ross, Earle D. (1938). "The "Father" of the Land-Grant College". Agricultural History. 12 (2): 151–186. ISSN  0002-1482. Turner supporters versus Morrill supporters.