T. H. Harris

Harris built the machinery of Louisiana's public schools. Born Lee Marcus Harris in 1869, he set up a combined local and state system of school finance, consolidated rural schools to replace one-room buildings, raised the minimum teacher certification to a bachelor's degree, and saw laws passed for teacher tenure and a retirement system. He created state vocational schools, and the state colleges became four-year degree-granting institutions. He served from August 1908 to May 1940, lost renomination to a former staff member, and died in 1942.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Germantown Colony Museum — 17 mi
  Two hewn-log buildings from an 1836 religious commune near Minden, the earliest of its kind in Louisiana, with a museum added in 1975.
• Eddie G. Robinson Museum — 24 mi
  A state museum in a former women's gymnasium at Grambling State University, on the 408-win coach who sent more than 200 players to the pros.

More markers nearby

• Arizona Academy Site — 1.4 mi
• Sheriff Pat Garrett — 3.3 mi
• Claiborne Parish Court House — 5.3 mi
• Homer College (CME) / African American Education in Louisiana — 6.2 mi