author
William G. (William Gunion) Rutherford
1853–1907
A sharp-minded Scottish classicist and schoolmaster, he became one of the best-known defenders of rigorous Greek scholarship in late Victorian Britain. His books on grammar and textual criticism helped shape how generations of students approached ancient Greek.
1 Audiobook
The Story of Garfield Farm-boy, Soldier, and President
by William G. (William Gunion) Rutherford
About the author
Born on 17 July 1853, William Gunion Rutherford was educated at St Andrews and Balliol College, Oxford. Although he originally prepared for a career in medicine and graduated in natural science, he turned instead toward teaching and classical scholarship.
Rutherford is best remembered as a distinguished classical scholar and as head master of Westminster School from 1883 to 1901. He built a reputation for exacting standards, deep learning, and a forceful personality, and he also served as a fellow of University College, Oxford.
His lasting importance comes from his work on Greek language and texts. He wrote influential books including First Greek Grammar and studies of Attic idiom and textual criticism, and he remained an admired, sometimes formidable presence in British classical education until his death on 19 July 1907.