Moses Willard Bartlett

Moses Willard Bartlett believed that the profession of teaching was second to none, which might be why he was hired as the first teacher at the Iowa State Normal School, now the University of Northern Iowa. 

Not only was Bartlett the first to be hired at the Iowa State Normal School in 1876, but he was also the assistant principal from 1880 through 1888. With a salary of $1,200 per year, he first taught mathematics until 1881 and then taught English language and literature until his retirement in 1904.

“Professor Bartlett represented a combination of qualities the Principal and Board sought – scholarly education, successful experience as a teacher and administrator and one who saw teaching as a profession,” William C. Lang wrote in “A Century of Leadership and Service.”

Bartlett had a strong appreciation for teaching: “If I helped to place even a little stone of value in those useful lives, I count it of more value than all the large group of buildings on this campus,” he said. “The teacher’s profession is a grand one, second to none and capable of infinite possibilities.” 

His students were fond of him, often wishing they could retake his courses and would bring him and Mrs. Bartlett books as gifts, as noted in the campus newspaper.

In 1914, the construction of Bartlett Hall, the newest dormitory at the time, was named in his honor. Bartlett Hall served as a residence hall for nearly a century until students moved out at the close of the spring 2012 semester, now housing academic and administrative offices.