1904-1972
NEA President

The Last NEA President of the Decade.

As the president of the National Education Association (NEA), the world's largest teachers' organization, Andrew David Holt took control of the organization in 1949 at a point when education in America was at a crossroads. By the time of his inauguration tne organization boasted a membership of eight hundred thousand. One significant event of his election year was the adoption of a resolution by the NEA called "Preservation of Democracy," which facilitated the purging of Communists from the ranks of the NEA and from the schools. The doctrine became part of the McCarthyism of the 1950s.

Early Preparation.

Holt reached the presidency of the NEA after serving for twelve years in the Tennessee Education Association (TEA) while he worked as principal of the training school and director of teacher training at West Tennessee State College. In...