The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Hailmann, William Nicholas

HAILMANN, hāl'mạn, William Nicholas, American educator: b. Glarus, Switzerland, 20 Oct. 1836. He was educated in the gymnasium at Zürich; studied in Medical College, Louisville, Ky. (Hon. A.M. University of Louisville 1864; Ph.D. Ohio University 1885). He became teacher of natural science in the Louisville high schools 1856-65; director of the German and English Academy 1865-73; director of the German and English Academy, Milwaukee, 1873-78; director of the German-American Seminary, Detroit, 1878-83; superintendent of public schools Laporte, Ind., 1883-94; national superintendent of Indian schools, 1894-98. He was superintendent of instruction, Dayton, Ohio, 1898-1903 and head of the department of psychology, Chicago Normal School, 1904-09; head of department of education at the Normal Training School, Cleveland, Ohio, 1909-15, when he retired to Pasadena, Cal. Among his writings are ‘Outlines of a System of Object-teaching’ (1866); ‘History of Pedagogy’ (1870); ‘Kindergarten Culture’ (1872); ‘The Law of Childhood’ (1878); ‘Primary Methods’ (1887); ‘Application of Psychology to Teaching’ (1887); ‘Froebel's Education of Man’ (1890); ‘The English Language’ (1902). He edited Erziehungsblaetter (1870-83); Kindergarten Messenger and New Education (1876-84). From 1883-94 he was one of the chief contributors of the National Educators' Association in the interest of the kindergarten and other features of the new education.