John Celivergos Zachos

Life & Legacy

John Celivergos Zachos (Greek: Ιωάννης Καλίβεργος Ζάχος; December 20, 1820 – March 20, 1898) was a Greek-American physician, literary scholar, elocutionist, author, lecturer, inventor, and educational pioneer. He was an early proponent of equal education rights for African Americans and women. During the American Civil War, he was the superintendent at Port Royal and a main figure in the Port Royal Experiment. In his book, Phonic Primer and Reader he developed a special system to educate freed slaves. He advocated and expanded the oratory systems of François Delsarte and James Rush.
He was born in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) to Greek parents. Both his parents participated in the Greek War of Independence and migrated to Greece after the outbreak of war. His father died during the war and he was given to Samuel Gridley Howe by his mother. He was a young refugee traveling to the United States of America. In America, he was educated at Mount Pleasant Classical Institute and one of his teachers included Gregory Anthony Perdicaris. At the academy, he also met Chauncey Colton whom he followed around the country to different educational institutions; one was outside of Philadelphia and the latter was Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. Zachos attended Kenyon College and graduated with honors and also obtained a medical degree but did not practice medicine because of his love for literature and teaching. He became an Army surgeon during the American Civil War serving primarily at Port Royal. Zachos became a Unitarian Minister, briefly taught at Cornell, and finally settled in New York City where he was the curator of the library at Cooper Union and a professor at the institution until his death.
He was the fourth honorary member of the National Association of Elocutionists. Zachos was one of the founders of the Beta Theta Pi Society, the Literary Club of Cincinnati, and the Ohio Society of New York. He developed the Zachos Method which is outlined in his book The New American Speaker. The technique uses an acting method for public speech and the book features a large assortment of Shakespearean monologues. As an inventor, he invented the stenotype. His nephew George Canfield Blickensderfer later invented the blickensderfer typewriter. Zachos's daughter Helena Zachos continued his work as a prominent elocutionist. The Helena Zachos Award at Wells College was named after her. He died in New York City at 77 years old.