Albert Hart Sanford, history professor and author, was born June 21, 1866, in Platteville, Wisconsin. He graduated from the Platteville Teachers College in 1886 and then taught for a few years. In 1891 he graduated from the University of Wisconsin and in 1894 from Harvard. He then accepted a position as head of the history department at the Stevens Point Teachers College. Remaining in this position until September 1909, he then transferred to the newly opened La Crosse State Teachers College to fill a similar post. He remained at La Crosse until he retired in 1937.
A prolific writer, Sanford collaborated with J. A. James in writing
Our Government and History (1903),
Government in State and Nation (1899), and
American History (1907). He also authored the
Sanford American History Maps (1907) and
The Story of Agriculture in the U.S. (1916) and co-authored the
Sanford-Gordy American History Maps (1925). In the field of La Crosse History, Professor Sanford wrote, guided research, and edited a series of pamphlets titled La Crosse County Historical Society Sketches, and with Harry Hirshheimer wrote
The History of La Crosse, 1841-1900 , which was published in 1951.
Sanford was active in many local, state and national organizations which promoted history and education. He served as president of the Wisconsin Association of Teacher’s Colleges and as a member of the Teacher’s College Retirement Board. He was a member of the North Central History Teacher’s Association, the National Council for Social Studies and the Wisconsin Education Association. He helped found and served as president of the La Crosse County Historical Society from 1925 when it was organized, until 1947.
He also served as president and curator of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin from 1939-1940, and was a member of the North Central History Teacher’s Association, the history sections of the Mississippi Valley Historical Society and the American Historical Association.
Sanford died on August 27, 1956, in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
