George W. Wynans, commissioner of finance and revenue, of the city of Hutchinson; director of the Salt City Business College; and a man who has been identified with the educational development, not only of Hutchinson, but of the state for many years, is an adopted son of Kansas, to whom she may point with pride as a man who stands for integrity, perseverance and right living; who has passed through the fat and lean years that have come to the Sunflower State, but whose faith in her bright future has never wavered. He was born in Albany county, New York, Aug. 15, 1846, and belongs to a family that traces its genealogy years beyond the Revolution, in which one of its ancestors, Captain Wheeler, played no small part in the war which separated the colonies, from the mother country. His parents were John and Jane (Bagley) Wynans, both natives of the State of New York, where their son was reared. He attended the public schools and then graduated from the high school, where he made most of the educational facilities afforded at that period. Upon the completion of his education the young man taught in different parts of the Catskill mountains until he joined that band of Eastern settlers who poured into Kansas in the late '50s and '60s. In 1868 he arrived at Topeka and found work on the first wing of the state house, which was being erected, but in the fall secured a position as teacher in Douglas county, where he followed his profession for two winters and three summers. From there he removed to Eudora to accept the position of principal of the schools, and in the fall of 1874 was elected principal of the Waterville schools, and filled that position to the entire satisfaction of the citizens and with credit to himself for seven years. He then served one term as county superintendent of Marshall county. In the fall of 1881 he was appointed one of the members of the party which surveyed "No Man's Land." The survey was completed by Christmas and Mr. Wynans returned to Topeka, where H. C. Speer, the state superintendent of education, wished him to remain, but Mr. Wyans[sic] had been offered a position at Hutchinson, and believed he could do better work in that city, where he remained for two years before being called to Junction City. During this time he had made a name for himself among the educators of the state as a man of honesty, progressive methods and an excellent executive. As a result, in 1888, he was elected state superintendent of education and served in that position until 1893. He showed marked ability along all educational lines and placed the school system of the state upon an excellent footing. At the close of his term in office Mr. Wynans was offered and accepted the office of president of the Oklahoma Normal School at Edmond, Okla., where he presided for a year, when he tendered his resignation to accept an offer to return to Hutchinson as superintendent of schools. For eight years he devoted his time and energies to the educational work of that city, which has one of the finest educational systems of any town in the state. In 1904 Mr. Wynans was asked to become one of the directors and teachers of the Salt City Commercial College, one of the largest institutions of its kind in the State of Kansas, where he has served both loyally and well. When the commission form of government went into effect in Hutchinson in 1909 Mr. Wynans was the unanimous choice of the citizens for commissioner of finance and revenue, to which office he was elected by a flattering majority, as the citizens knew him to be a man absolutely incorruptible, who would serve the municipality to the best of his ability and for the best interest of the community. He has been in office three years, having been elected for a second two-years term. For years Mr. Wynans was an efficient member of the board of education, where he played no small part in shaping the policy of that body. He has always been a Republican, and has had unwavering faith in the principles of that party. In addition to his educational work proper, Mr. Wynans is part owner and the publisher of the "Interstate Schoolman." Fraternally he is a member of the Masonic order, being a Knight Templar, and eminent commander of Reno commandery. In faith, he is a Universalist. Mr. Wynans was united in marriage with Flora B. Green in 1876. She was born in Iowa, but came to Kansas in 1874 and located in Blue Rapids, where she was married. They have one child, Louise, the wife of Ralph H. Faxon, of Garden City, Kan.