About John
Biography
John Sutton, the founder of what now is Indiana University of Pennsylvania, is an inductee to the Indiana County Business Hall of Fame, Class of 2024.
One hundred forty-nine years ago, John Sutton oversaw the opening of Indiana State Normal School, one of the original teacher training schools in Pennsylvania. The school was built on a select 12 acres of ground that Sutton sold to the Normal School Association in 1872, and Sutton was the first president of the school’s board of trustees when it opened.
Sutton was widely regarded as one of very few men with the sway needed to secure Indiana’s selection as the site for a regional normal school. He was an influential merchant, real-estate broker, and community leader in Indiana County for more than 40 years.
Sutton’s charitable nature, his devotion to his Presbyterian Church, and his support of the religious community in general were the hallmarks of his life in Indiana. He served as the superintendent of the Indiana Presbyterian Church Sunday school, and was a cornerstone in many progressive movements throughout Indiana County.
Sutton was instrumental in opening the way for Pennsylvania Rail Road Company to build a branch line to Indiana, according to The Indiana Progress in its account of Sutton’s death and funeral ceremony. The erection of a paper mill and the first illumination of the town with gas lights were credited to Sutton, the paper said, as was “his indomitable energy displayed in the ... successful establishment of the Normal School.
“His administration capacity was remarkable. That he was an agreeable and reliable partner is shown by the fact that for thirty-three years his relations with one partner were continuous,” the Progress wrote. “After all, his influence was most remarkably felt in his personal presence. Where John Sutton was, there was order.”
From the passage of the Normal School Act in 1857, Indiana was a leading choice for a proposed district-centered teacher training school. Indiana was chosen as a site over several surrounding counties because of the diligent and active interest of several prominent local citizens who pledged to meet the requirements of the law and because it was well served by the developing railroad system. Among those pillars of the community was John Sutton, one of the most prominent champions of the Normal School Association.
The Indiana State Normal School opened its doors in May 1875 but Sutton barely saw the school flourish. He died two years later, three weeks after his 63rd birthday. John Sutton’s death on June 9, 1877, was a shock to the community.
In 1903, John Sutton was one of the three founders of Indiana State Normal School to be honored by the Board of Trustees. The main building, which had long served as the iconic centerpiece of campus, was renamed John Sutton Hall in his memory. It remains the longest standing building at IUP.
Today, the Chamber of Commerce proudly enshrines John Sutton in the Business Hall of Fame.