MCGUFFEY, WILLIAM HOLMES

born Sept. 23, 1800, Pennsylvania, U.S. died May 4, 1873, Charlottesville, Va. U.S. educator who is remembered chiefly for his series of elementary school readers. With little formal education, McGuffey mastered the school arts and began teaching in the Ohio frontier schools at the age of 13. While teaching, he continued his own education intermittentlyunder private tutors, at Greersburg Academy, and at Washington (Pennsylvania) College. During his 10 years (from 1826) on the faculty of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, McGuffey took great interest in public education and assisted the teachers of the local elementary schools. In his own home he established a model school for neighbourhood children. In 1835 he contracted with the Cincinnati publishers Truman and Smith to compile four school readers, the first and second of which were published in 1836 and the third and fourth in 1837. A fifth appeared in 1844. A spelling book by McGuffey's brother, Alexander Hamilton McGuffey, was published in 1846, and a sixth reader was added in 1857. The readers were graded collections of didactic tales and excerpts from great books, reflecting McGuffey's view that the proper education of young people required their introduction to a wide variety of topics and practical matters. They became standard texts in nearly all states, eclipsing all rival textbook publications for half a century and reaching a reputed total sale of over 125 million copies. McGuffey served as president of Cincinnati College (183639) and of Ohio University, Athens (183943). He was a founder of the common school system of Ohio. In 1845 he was elected to the chair of mental and moral philosophy at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, a position he held until his death.