Lyman Beecher Tefft

Born in Exeter, Rhode Island, in 1833, Lyman Beecher Tefft went on to build a long career in Baptist education and religious writing. Reliable records identify him as living from 1833 to 1926, and published works from the period show that he wrote on subjects including ethics, theology, and science.

Tefft is especially remembered for his role in the history of Hartshorn Memorial College in Richmond, Virginia, a school created for the education of African American women. Virginia Union University’s historical account names him as the institution’s first president, and later historical material also remembers him as a cofounder.

His surviving books suggest a wide-ranging mind. Alongside religious titles, he also wrote works such as Curiosities of Heat, which brought scientific ideas to general readers in a clear, approachable way. That combination of ministry, teaching, and popular explanation gives his work a distinctive place in late 19th- and early 20th-century American nonfiction.