William Holmes McGuffey
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William Holmes McGuffey (September 23, 1800 - May 4, 1873) was an American professor who created the McGuffey Readers, one of America's first textbooks.
He was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania. In 1802, McGuffey's family moved to Tuscarawas County, Ohio. He attended country school, and after receiving special instruction at Youngstown, he attended Old Stone Academy. Afterwards, he attended and graduated from Washington College in Pennsylvania, where he became an instructor.
He left Washington College in 1826 to become a professor at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. A year later in 1827, he was married to Harriet Spinning of Dayton, Ohio, with whom he had five children. In 1829, he was ordained at Bethel Chapel as a minister in the Presbyterian Church. It was in Oxford that he created the most important contribution of his life: The McGuffey Readers. His books sold over 122 million copies. He was very fond of teaching and children as he geared the books toward a younger audience.
In 1836, he left Miami to become president of Cincinnati College, where he also served as a distinguished teacher and lecturer. He left Cincinnati in 1839 to become President of Ohio University, which he left in 1843 to become president of Woodward College in Cincinnati.
In 1845, McGuffey moved to Charlottesville, Virginia where he became Professor of Philosophy at the University of Virginia. A year after his first wife Harriet died in 1850, he married Miss Laura Howard, daughter of Dean Howard of the University of Virginia, in 1851. McGuffey is buried at university burying ground, in Charlottesville, Virginia. The School of Education at Miami University is named for him and his home in Oxford is a National Historic Landmark offering tours on weekdays.
McGuffey is credited with the following quote:
- "The Christian religion is the religion of our country. From it are derived our notions on character of God, on the great moral Governor of the universe. On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free institutions. From no source has the author drawn more conspicuously than from the sacred Scriptures. From all these extracts from the Bible I make no apology."
The McGuffey School District, located in southwestern Pennsylvania, is named for William Holmes McGuffey
