Born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, George Bunsen fled to St. Clair County in 1834 after participating in a failed revolt. He farmed with other Latin Farmers and taught school. He was elected a delegate to the Illinois Constitutional Convention of 1847. Bunsen was county school superintendent for 1855-1859. After moving to Belleville in 1857 he established a primary school model to demonstrate best teaching practices and was elected a city school director in 1859. He advocated for the St. Clair County Teachers' Institute, which improved teaching techniques. In 1857 he was a charter member of the board of directors of the State Board of Education tasked with organizing a teacher-training college, Illinois State Normal University, later Illinois State University.