BENJAMIN C. GREGORY
B. C. Gregory Elementary School was named for Benjamin Carlyle Gregory who was a superintendent of Trenton's public schools in the 1890s. He was born in New York City in 1849. He attended the public schools of New York and attended the College of the City of New York, from which he graduated in 1868. In 1875, he became a tutor in his Alma Mater. After spending several years in that position he resigned to accept the principalship of a primary school in Newark.
By 1880, Dr. Gregory had become one of the prominent educators of the State. The School Board of Trenton secured him to take the position of Superintendent.
Dr. Gregory oversaw the schools of Trenton for 7 years. Under his supervision, the Trenton Public Schools were regarded as the most progressive in the State. He was a huge proponent of public education and he began the Educational Society of New Jersey in order to inform the public about the purposes of education and to acquaint them with the work of the public schools. He hoped to develop a strong sentiment in favor of public instruction, which was not widely favored in the late 1800s. He was also a very vocal member of the National Education Association.
Dr. B.C. Gregory, and his wife Lillian, resided on Chestnut Avenue in Trenton. Both were prominent musicians in the area and were socialites in Trenton musical and church circles.