Ruffner, William Henry, 1824-1908
Dates
- Existence: 1824 - 1908
Biographical Note
William H. Ruffner (1824-1908) was born in Lexington, Virginia. After attending college and seminary, he retired from the ministry in 1852 and returned to Virginia to farm. Following the Civil War, he became an advocate for public education, serving as the first superintendent for public instruction in Virginia from 1870 until 1882. Ruffner was a trustee for Washington College and Washington and Lee University from mid-1860s to the mid-1870s, and on the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College Board of Visitors from 1872 until about 1880. He went on to the presidency of the Farmville Normal School (now Longwood College) from 1884 to 1887, then moved to surveying, geology, and theological scholarship. He died in North Carolina in 1908.
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
William H. Ruffner Letters
The collection includes photocopies of eleven letters from Virginian educator William H. Ruffner (1824-1908) to his wife and children and to him from his daughter Anne.
Topographical Map of the Guy's Run Iron Lands, Rockbridge Co., Va. (reproduction)
Map shows topography of Guy's Run Iron Lands in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Map also gives summary of acreage for different plots in the mapped area.