From Ohio History Central Samuel Galloway was a political leader
and public servant from Ohio. He was born on March 20, 1811, in
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. His family moved to Ohio in 1819, and
Galloway graduated as valedictorian from Miami University in
1833. He began a teaching career after his graduation and became
a professor of ancient languages at Miami University in 1837. In
1841, after teaching at two additional institutions of higher
education, Galloway began studying the law. In 1843, he
successfully passed the Ohio bar examination and set up a law
practice in Chillicothe, Ohio. In 1844, Galloway began a
political career and became Ohio's Secretary of State. One of
his many duties was to oversee public education in the state.
During Galloway's six years in office, the Ohio legislature
passed two major laws dealing with education. Both of these laws
helped create the school district system still in effect in
Ohio. The first of these laws was the Akron School Law of 1847.
Before this legislation was en