Louis S. Vosburgh*

Louis Vosburgh started life in a humble log cabin farmhouse in a wooded area of northern Michigan. Hard farm work under a stern father and economic hardship marked his early life. His formal education was largely acquired in a one-room country school. His mother died when he was 14.

Although Vosburgh attended high school for only a few short months, he took a correspondence course in electrical engineering. He then worked as an electrician for $1.50 a day, until his tools were stolen and he decided to change careers.

Vosburgh entered the field of home-study education as a sales representative and advanced to district supervisor and general field superintendent. He founded the Lincoln Extension Institute in 1922, just before he turned 27. Vosburgh helped establish and organize the National Home Study Council. In 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower cited him for his contributions to the President's Committee on Education Beyond the High School. He was also a founding member of the National Council of Profit Sharing Industries.