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Henry Davidson Sheldon, born October 3, 1874 en route to California, was the son of New York emigres who settled in San Luis Obispo, and later Santa Clara, California. He was educated at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California and received his BA (1896) and MA (1897) from Stanford. His doctoral work was done at Clark University. Sheldon married Florence Perry whom he met in Worcester, Massachusetts and, with her, raised a son and daughter.

Sheldon began his career at the University of Oregon in 1900 as a professor of education and history, bringing with him a progressive view of education. With the child-centered school as their focus, he and his colleagues, Joseph Schafer, O.F. Stafford and Herbert C. Howe, worked to professionalize teacher training, raise state certification requirements, broaden the curricula of the University, and extend its reach through correspondence courses, extension classes, and summer school. Sheldon also worked hard to increase financial support for the University.

From August, 1911 to June, 1912 Sheldon studies in England and Germany. He returned to the University of Oregon in 1913 as Dean of the School of Education, which graduated the greatest number of high school teachers in the states. He joined the presidential advisory council in 1917 and served that body until 1933. During the 1920's the School of Education grew both in size and prominence under Sheldon's guidance. In this period he published a bibliography on the history of Oregon, began documenting the history of the University of Oregon, pressed for higher base salaries at the University, and directed several theses on the history of education in Oregon.

The 1930's was a period of production and recovery for Sheldon. He began to write the history of the University of Oregon, postponing a history of political liberalism and its relation to education. In 1933 he fell victim to tuberculosis and remained in the state TB hospital at Salem through March, 1935.

In 1942 he retired to emeritus status, continuing to teach only American civilization and the history of education. Sheldon retired from all teaching in 1947 at age 73 and died in 1948, leaving unfinished the history of liberalism project and a history of education in Oregon.