Richard Edwards (educator)

Richard Edwards
Third President of Blackburn College
In office
1891–1893
Preceded byEdwin L. Hurd
Succeeded byJames E. Rogers
Illinois Superintendent of Public Instruction
In office
1887–1891
GovernorRichard J. Oglesby
Joseph W. Fifer
Preceded byHenry Raab
Succeeded byHenry Raab
Second President of Illinois State Normal University
In office
1862–1876
Preceded byCharles Edward Hovey
Succeeded byEdwin C. Hewett
First principal of the Salem Normal School
In office
1854–1857
Preceded byPosition created
Succeeded byAlpheus Crosby
Personal details
Born(1822-12-23)December 23, 1822
Ceredigion, Cardiganshire, Wales
DiedMarch 7, 1908(1908-03-07) (aged 85)
Normal, Illinois, US

Richard Edwards (December 23, 1822 – March 7, 1908) was a Welsh-American educator from Ceredigion (Cardiganshire). Emigrating to the United States with his family when he was a child, Edwards studied at the State Normal School in Bridgewater, Massachusetts and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He then led a number of schools: the Boys' High School in Salem, Massachusetts (1853–1854); the State Normal School in Salem (1854–1857); the Normal School in St. Louis, Missouri (1857–1861); Illinois State Normal University (1862–1876); and Blackburn University(1891–1893). From 1887 to 1891, he served as the Illinois Superintendent of Public Instruction.