Alexander H. (Alexander Hamilton) McGuffey

Born in Trumbull County, Ohio, on August 13, 1816, he grew up in a family that cared deeply about learning. As a boy he studied under his older brother, William Holmes McGuffey, and went on to graduate from Miami University at an unusually young age.

He first worked as a teacher and professor in Cincinnati, including at Woodward College, before turning to law and joining the Cincinnati bar while still a young man. He is remembered most for editing the fifth and sixth volumes of the McGuffey Readers, the hugely influential schoolbook series whose earlier volumes were prepared by his brother.

His career also reached beyond writing and teaching. In Cincinnati he served as secretary and treasurer of the trustees of Cincinnati College and was credited with helping restore the institution's finances after a difficult period. He died on June 3, 1896, leaving behind a quiet but lasting mark on American education.