Allen H. Bushey, the superintendent of the Pittsburg, Kan., public schools, and a well known educator, was born at Keokuk, Iowa, March 2, 1858. His parents were Jacob and Angeline (Hopkins) Bushey. Stephen Hopkins, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, was his mother's grandfather. Mr. Bushey's father was a native of Pennsylvania, while his mother was born in Boston, Mass. His parents were married at Philadelphia, where the father was employed as a clerk. After their marriage the parents moved to Keokuk, Iowa, about 1853, and engaged in the wholesale and retail grocery business, which Mr. Bushey carried on until his death. In 1861 he became captain of a militia company at Keokuk, but because of his strong anti-slavery views, he was shot and instantly killed by a pro-slavery man. After settling up the business the family returned to Pennsylvania, where they remained until 1872, when Mrs. Bushey and her four children came to Kansas and settled in Morris county, on a homestead, which remained the family home until the mother's death. The Bushey home was located on the old Santa Fe Trail and while a boy Mr. Bushey, with some neighbors, went to the western part of the state one winter and hunted buffalo in the vicinity of what is now Medicine Lodge. They killed over 1,000 buffaloes for their hides; salted and smoked over ten tons of buffalo meat, which was sent east and sold.

Allen H. Bushey was educated in the public schools of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, where he lived with his grandfather for a time. He also attended the common school of Morris county, passed the county teachers' examination, and taught two terms of country school. In the fall of 1883 he entered the state normal school at Emporia and graduated in the English Course in 1886. He was then elected county superintendent of Morris county and served in that capacity for two terms. In 1890 Mr. Bushey returned to the normal school for a year, taking the Latin course, and the next year became principal of the Waverly schools, Coffey county. During the summer vacations he attended the normal and finished the degree course in that manner. Leaving Waverly he became the superintendent of the Medicine Lodge and Lyons schools, and later went to Peabody, where he remained eight years. In 1903 be was selected for superintendent of the Pittsburg public schools, and has served in that capacity ever since. Since coming to Pittsburg Mr. Bushey has completed the course in the normal school at Emporia, and has received the degree of Bachelor of Arts from that institution. In 1900 he spent one quarter at the University of Chicago, taking a special teacher's course in American history and psychology. Since accepting the superintendency of the Pittsburg schools, Mr. Bushey has developed them more fully, especially the manual training department. Nearly 3,500 pupils are enrolled in the schools, which are considered among the finest in Kansas. The high school course has been raised from three and a half years to four years and the equipment improved and enlarged. When Mr. Bushey came to Pittsburg it was a city of the second class; the limit of assessment being fifteen mills and the city was $20,000 in debt for current school expenses. He went before the state legislature and was instrumental in having a special act, referring to Pittsburg, passed, by which the tax was raised to twenty mills for general purposes, and later had another special bill passed raising the tax three mills more for erecting and repairing school buildings and to take up the outstanding indebtedness. The indebtedness of the city has all been paid and in 1909 there was $10,000 in the treasury, although the salaries of all the teachers have been increased each year during his administration. Mr. Bushey is a member of the State Teachers' Association and has missed only one meeting since he joined, in 1886. He was president of the organization in 1905. He belongs to the Southeastern Kansas Teachers' Association and was twice chairman of the executive committee; was also a member of the Central Kansas Teachers' Association, which he served as president, in 1901 and 1902. Mr. Bushey has served on the legislative committee of the State Teachers' Association five times, twice as chairman. He served on the state board of education for four years, from 1899 to 1903. He is a prominent and active member of the Republican party, and served as delegate to the state Republican convention, twice from Marion county and once from Crawford county. He was one of the directors of the Kansas Educational Exhibit at the World's Fair, at St. Louis, and helped arrange it. In the State Teachers' Association he has been a member of the resolutions committee twice and served as chairman once; has also served on the nominating committee. Mr. Bushey has been twice appointed a regent of the state normal schools, serving two years as president, and is now serving his eighth year and second term as secretary.

In the fall of 1883 Mr. Bushey married Belle Ray, of Vermilion county, Illinois. Three children were born to this union: Vida Alice, Willard Albert, and Ray Allen. Mrs. Bushey died in 1899, and in July, 1908, Mr. Bushey married Clifford A. Mitchell, who has been the superintendent of the public schools of Iola for a number of years. She first went there as principal of the high school. Mrs. Bushey received her education at Carlyle, Ohio. She was one of the prominent women teachers of Kansas. One child has been born to this union—Mitchell Hopkins. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, though Mrs. Bushey formerly belonged to the Presbyterian church. Mr. Bushey is a Knight Templar Mason.