The Lynn M. Bartlett papers have been arranged into six series. The first three series were accumulated in his capacity as State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Education, and Assistant Secretary for Education within the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The researcher should note that although these series have been designated with the title of the office that Bartlett held, these series do not include the official files from those agencies. Records for the state office will be found in the Michigan State Archives; and records for the two federal positions held either reside within the agency itself or have been transferred to the National Archives. These three series consist of personal materials, such as speeches, personal letters (e.g., letters of congratulation, and thank yous), and other files not deemed to be part of the agency's files.
The final three series consist of Biographical/Personal, the papers of Bartlett's wife Josephine, and Collected Material.
Lynn M. Bartlett was born July 12, 1904 in Portland, New York. He earned his A.B. (1927), M.A. (1930), and Ph.D. (1954) degrees at the University of Michigan. In 1960, Northern Michigan University awarded him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.
Bartlett began his career in the field of education as a rural school teacher in Cherry Creek, New York. From 1927 to 1929 he was a psychologist in the Detroit Public Schools. On July 24, 1937 he married Josephine Kathryn Kriser, who graduated with high distinction from the University of Michigan in 1932 with a bachelor's degree in education, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in her senior year. After graduating college, she worked as an elementary and middle school teacher from the 1930s into the 1960s. She was also an active participant in many social clubs.
Over the period from 1930 to 1957, Bartlett taught briefly in turn at Eastern Michigan University, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University, while also serving in a series of administrative positions for the Grosse Pointe Public Schools. On July 1, 1957, following his successful election campaign, Bartlett left the post of Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel for the Grosse Pointe Public Schools to assume office as State Superintendent of Public Instruction for Michigan.
Bartlett served as State Superintendent for eight years until July 1, 1965, at which time he became Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Education in the Johnson Administration, a role that made him the director of the school system responsible for educating the children of armed forces personnel. In June of 1968, he was nominated by President Johnson as Assistant Secretary for Education in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. He assumed the post in early July and held it until shortly after Richard Nixon assumed office in 1969. Bartlett then served as a consultant for various organizations until his death on November 28, 1970.
Bartlett was a member of the National Education Association, American Association of School Administrators, American Psychological Association, the International Council on Exceptional Children, the Michigan Education Association, Michigan Psychological Association, and other organizations.
