He was born in
Westford, New York, on June 21, 1848, and is a descendant of early
Massachusetts settler
James Draper. He graduated from
The Albany Academy and
Albany Law School. He was a member of the
New York State Assembly (Albany Co., 2nd D.) in
1881; and a judge of the United States court of Alabama claims before devoting himself to educational work. He then served as a member of the
Albany School-board, New York State Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1886 to 1892, and superintendent of schools at
Cleveland,
Ohio, before becoming the President and Regent of the
University of Illinois in 1894. He resigned from his presidency in 1904 to become the first
Commissioner of Education of the State of New York. He died on April 27, 1913, in
Albany, New York, of
Bright's disease and heart trouble. His widow died in 1928. ==Selected works==