John Ogden

John Ogden (February 12, 1824 – July 23, 1910) was an American military officer, minister, veteran educator, and abolitionist. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, being captured in 1864 and held prisoner until the conflict ended. He became an education official with the Freedmen's Bureau in Tennessee and co-founded a school for African Americans, Fisk School, that preceded Fisk University. He also served as the third North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction in the early 1890s. Early life John Ogden was born on February 12, 1824 in Mount Vernon, Ohio. His family farmed. He was baptized as a Baptist. Early teaching career Ogden began teaching at a common school in Crestline, Ohio in 1842. Throughout the 1840s he continued to teach in small schools until he was named principal of a grammar school in Columbus. From 1853 to 1855, he attended Ohio Wesleyan University and also served as an instructor there. In the early 1860s, he moved to Minnesota from Ohio and served as the founding principal of the Winona State Normal School (later known as Winona State University). Military career Not long after arriving at Winona State Normal School, Ogden enlisted to fight in the American Civil War. He served in the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment. He received commissions as a second lieutenant, first lieutenant, and captain, but was captured by the Confederacy in 1864 and was held prisoner until the war ended. He was held as a prisoner or war in South Carolina and Georgia. At one point, he did escape but was recaptured.