born Sept. 23, 1800, Pennsylvania, U.S.
died May 4, 1873, Charlottesville, Va.
U.S. educator remembered chiefly for his series of elementary readers.
McGuffey taught in the Ohio frontier schools and then at Miami University (182636). His elementary school series, starting with The Eclectic First Reader , was published between 1836 and 1857. Collections of didactic tales, aphorisms, and excerpts from great books, the readers reflect 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 for the next 50 years and sold more than 125 million copies. In these years McGuffey also 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.