author
William Henry Ruffner
1824–1908
A key architect of Virginia’s public school system, this 19th-century minister, educator, and writer helped shape public education in the state after the Civil War. He also wrote on geology and other public questions, bringing a practical, reform-minded voice to his work.
1 Audiobook
A Report on Washington Territory
by William Henry Ruffner
About the author
Born in Lexington, Virginia, in 1824, William Henry Ruffner was the son of educator and Presbyterian minister Henry Ruffner. He graduated from Washington College, studied theology, and spent part of his early career as a Presbyterian minister and farmer before turning more fully toward public service and writing.
Ruffner is best known as the designer and first superintendent of Virginia’s public school system, a role he took on in 1870. In that position, he helped lay out the structure of statewide public education during Reconstruction. He later served as principal of the State Female Normal School, the institution that became Longwood University.
Alongside his educational work, Ruffner also wrote on geology and other civic subjects. He died in 1908, and he is still remembered as an important figure in the history of education in Virginia.