John C. Scarborough (September 22, 1841 â December 26, 1917) was an American educator and public official who served two nonconsecutive terms as North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction (1877âÂÂ1885 and 1893âÂÂ1897). He helped build North Carolina's public-school system in the decades following the Civil War and served as superintendent for twelve years in total.
John Catre Scarborough was born in Wake County, North Carolina, on September 22, 1841, the son of Samuel Scarborough and Cynthia Scarborough, and attended local common and district schools. He went to Wake Forest College in 1866.
He served in the American Civil War in North Carolina Confederate units, including service as a sergeant in the 44th Regiment, North Carolina Volunteers, and later in the 1st Regiment, North Carolina State Troops.
He served as principal of the Selma Classical and Mathematical School from 1871 to 1876. He taught at Thomasville Female College in 1888âÂÂ1889. During this period, Scarborough served as an Assistant Principal and was hailed as "one of the brainiest men in the State". He served as president of Chowan Baptist Female Institute (later Chowan University) from 1897 to 1909. During his tenure as president, Scarborough made plans to enlarge the work of the school, to extend its benefits to even greater numbers of young women, to bring it into closer touch with the people, and to enlist the sympathies of all our people with the work of the school in its efforts to "bring the blessings of Christian education to every home". And later served as superintendent of the Hertford County schools from 1910 to 1915.
He served as Superintendent of Public Instruction of North Carolina from 1877 to 1885 and from 1893 to 1897. A compilation of North Carolina public school law issued in 1893 included administrative notes and instructions from the superintendent's office during his second tenure. On May 6, 1893, the superintendent's office issued a letter describing a State Board of Education decision to retain the existing list of public-school textbooks, reflecting the department's role in statewide textbook adoption and administration. Teacher preparation and instructional methods remained a central concern in state education work during this period, including calls for stronger normal instruction and improved teaching practice. Furthermore, Scarborough helped draft a bill that proposed dividing the state into several educational districts. Each district would have a district superintendent responsible for conducting examinations, issuing certificates, holding county institutes for teachers, and inspecting schools. Scarborough also proposed a general provision that would allow any township, any incorporated town, or any school district that included an incorporated town to levy a special school tax by popular vote, but the legislature ignored his recommendation and made only minor, largely insignificant changes to the law.
He served as commissioner of labor statistics which was established in 1887 and resigned that position in late 1892 after his election as superintendent of public instruction. He held the position of state commissioner of labor and printing for several years.
He served on boards and agencies of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and held a long trusteeship with Wake Forest College.
Scarborough married with one of his teachers, Miss Julia Vass Moore. They had five children. He died at his home in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, on December 26, 1917, at age seventy-five.