Notes for Sullivan CAVERNO

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Notes for Sullivan CAVERNO

http://www.niagara2008.com/history82.html [accessed 10/19/12]:
Sullivan Caverno – Champion of free public schools Union School
The history of education in Niagara County is usually told through the lives of men and women that challenged the status quo to establish new paradigms of excellence in education. Mr. Sullivan Caverno is one of the seldom-mentioned heroes of education.
Caverno received his own education at Dartmouth College and first began to impact education in Niagara County as the Principal of the old Lewiston Academy. After two years there, he moved to Lockport and began to study law. In 1846, he conceived the
idea of a new school system that would expand upon the common school education of the day to provide a complete academic education available to all students. In his plan, the existing seven common school districts would be united to form secondary
districts, with a new central school, the Lockport Union School, to teach higher education. The resulting configuration provided for seven primary schools, three secondaries and the Union School. The control of the system was to be vested in a Board of
Education who would supervise all of the schools. The board would be composed of 12 trustees, one for each of the seven primary districts and five for the Union School.
In 1847, after conferring with educational experts across the state, Caverno drafted the Union School Act which was later passed by the NYS legislature and became the model for free public school districts all across the country. One hallmark of his
plan stated that any student who could not contribute financially towards their education would still be allowed to attend with the cost of their education to be covered through a general tax upon the citizens of the region. Caverno served as the first
President of the Board of Education and work commenced on the “new” Union School with completion in the spring of 1848. Caverno donated a great deal of time to the school system, to the point where most would recognize that he served as an unpaid
superintendent of schools. Following in his footsteps, other notable champions of education followed, such as Belva McNall Lockwood, Emmett Belknap, Hon. John E. Pound and Miss Charlotte Cross.
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Sullivan Caverno the son of Jeremiah and Margaret Brewster Cav erno was born at Strafford Mar 21 1807 He taught at Brockport NY and was principal of Lewiston Acad NY 2 years in 1832 and 1833 read law and opened an office at Lewiston in Oct 1835 still
remaining there was Master and Examiner in Chancery 4 years from Jan 1836 and Police Jusiice for Niagara Co from 1844 to 1848 He married Martha Elisabeth dau of Thomas Kelsey of Lewiston Dec 10 1835 Daniel Henry Caverno DC 1860 was his son . [Sketches
of the alumni of Dartmouth college: from the first graduation in ...
By George Thomas Chapman, page 257]
*****
Sullivan Carverno, son of Jeremiah and Margaret (Brewster) Caverno, born at Strafford, New Hampshire on March 21, 1807. Fitted for college at Philips Exeter Academy. Taught at Brockport, New York, 1831; principal at Lewiston (New York) Academy
1832-33. Studied law with Hiram Gardner at Lockport, New York 1833-35; admitted to bar October 1835; practiced there till decease. Master and examiner in chancery, from January 1836 four years; police justice Niagara County 1844-48; commissioner to
revise the statutes of New York, 1875. Married December 10, 1835 to Martha Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Kelsey of Lewiston; she survives him. He died at Lockport, New York on February 2, 1882 of paralysis. [Obituary Record of Grads of Dartmouth
College, 1881 and 1882]
See "Record of the Caverno Family." 1874, by A. Caverno.
Published in Dover by Morning Star Steam Job Printing Establishment.
Quite a lot of information about Mr. Caverno on the Internet.

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