George W. Minns | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st Principal of San José State University | |
| In office 1865–1866 | |
| Preceded by | Ahira Holmes |
| Succeeded by | Henry P. Carlton |
| In office 1857–1862 | |
| Succeeded by | Ahira Holmes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 6, 1813 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | January 14, 1895 (aged 81) Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
George Washington Minns (October 6, 1813 – January 14, 1895) was an American educator. He graduated from Harvard College with the class of 1836 and received a law degree from the Dane Law School of Harvard. He practiced law in Massachusetts for several years before moving to California. After the gold rush caused the collapse of his law practice and Minns lost all of his savings, he became a teacher at the Union Grammar School, the first California high school, and became principal of the Normal School the following year.[1] He was an American teacher, notable for running the Minns Evening Normal School, which was established in San Francisco, in 1857 in order to train teachers for the city's public school system. His normal school, named the California State Normal School, was the first publicly funded institution of higher learning in the state. George Minns was principal of the school from 1857 to 1862 and 1865 to 1866. The California State Normal School was transferred to the State of California in 1862, and is now known as San José State University.