William Holmes McGuffey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Holmes McGuffey
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| Born | September 23, 1800 |
| Died | May 4, 1873 (aged 72) |
| Occupation | Educator, Academic Author |
| Known for | McGuffey Readers |
William Holmes McGuffey (born September 23, 1800 – died May 4, 1873) was a college professor and president. He is most famous for writing the McGuffey Readers. These were the first widely used series of textbooks for elementary schools. Over 120 million copies of McGuffey Readers were sold between 1836 and 1960. This makes their sales similar to those of the Bible and Webster's Dictionary.
Contents
William McGuffey's Early Life
William Holmes McGuffey was born near Claysville, Pennsylvania in West Finley Township. This area is about 45 miles southwest of Pittsburgh. His parents were Alexander and Anna (Holmes) McGuffey. In 1802, his family moved further into the frontier to Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
William went to a country school. Later, he received special lessons in Youngstown, Ohio. He then attended Greersburg Academy in Darlington, Pennsylvania. After that, he went to and graduated from Washington College in Pennsylvania. He even became an instructor there.
He worked as a traveling teacher, moving through the frontier areas of Ohio, Kentucky, and western Pennsylvania. He would visit different settlements looking for part-time teaching jobs. He taught children in log cabins. Parents would pay for their children's education until they ran out of money or decided to stop. One small settlement where he taught was Poland, Ohio.
McGuffey was good friends with Andrew Wylie, who was the president of Washington College. He even lived in Wylie's house for a while. They often walked the 3 miles to Washington College together.
McGuffey's Career and Family Life
In 1826, McGuffey left Washington College. He became a professor at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. A year later, in 1827, he married Harriet Spinning from Dayton, Ohio. They had five children together. In 1829, he became a minister in the Presbyterian Church at Bethel Chapel.
It was in Oxford that he created his most important work: The McGuffey Readers. These books sold over 122 million copies! He really enjoyed teaching children and designed his books for a younger audience.
His home in Oxford is now a museum and a National Historic Landmark.
In 1836, he left Miami University to become president of Cincinnati College. He was also a respected teacher and lecturer there. In 1839, he left Cincinnati to become the 4th president of Ohio University. He left Ohio University in 1843. Then, he became president of what was called the Woodward Free Grammar School in Cincinnati. This was one of the country's first public schools.
In 1845, McGuffey moved to Charlottesville, Virginia. There, he became a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Virginia. His first wife, Harriet, passed away in 1850. A year later, he married Miss Laura Howard. She was the daughter of Dean Howard from the University of Virginia.
McGuffey was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in Ohio. Both of these were "free states" where slavery was not allowed. However, Virginia was a "slave state" at that time. William McGuffey and his first wife Harriet did not support slavery. But, while living in Virginia, they were connected to enslaved people. One person named William Gibbons was associated with McGuffey's family. William Gibbons learned to read and later became an important minister in Charlottesville and Washington, D.C.
McGuffey is buried in the University of Virginia Cemetery in Charlottesville, Virginia.
McGuffey's Lasting Impact
The McGuffey Readers had a huge impact. Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Ron Powers said these books helped create the first generation in the modern world that was widely educated and able to read. The books also made Shakespeare's plays well-known in America. Author Hamlin Garland shared, "I got my first taste of Shakespeare from the selected scenes which I read in these books."
Students were encouraged to memorize and read aloud famous speeches. Examples include Antony's Oration over Dead Caesar's Body and Henry V. to His Troops. Shakespeare's tragedies were shown with The Hamlet Soliloquy. The McGuffey Readers helped Americans believe that Shakespeare's authority was second only to the Bible.
The William H. McGuffey Primary School in Charlottesville, Virginia, is named after him. This historic building is now an art center run by artists, called the McGuffey Art Center. There is also McGuffey Cottage at the University of Virginia. This cottage was where enslaved workers connected to University of Virginia faculty, including the McGuffey household, lived. Ohio University has a building named McGuffey Hall.
At Miami University, McGuffey Hall is a large academic building. It houses several departments related to education. The university also ran the McGuffey Laboratory School from 1910 to 1983. When it closed, some parents started The William Holmes McGuffey School Foundation. This foundation runs an independent school in Oxford called the McGuffey Foundation School, which was later renamed the McGuffey Montessori School.
The McGuffey School District in Washington County, Pennsylvania, is named for William Holmes McGuffey. The famous industrialist Henry Ford said McGuffey Readers were one of the most important influences on him as a child. In 1934, he moved the log cabin where McGuffey was born to Greenfield Village. This is Ford's museum of Americana in Dearborn, Michigan.
In 1998, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission placed a historical marker at McGuffey High School/Middle School. This marker notes McGuffey's historical importance.
Images for kids
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William Holmes McGuffey
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Greersburg Academy
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McGuffey's house in Oxford, Ohio
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McGuffey's grave obelisk
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McGuffey Hall at Ohio University
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McGuffey High School in Claysville, PA
