Joseph D. Eggleston was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia, in 1867. He attended college at Hampden-Sydney College, completing his degree in 1886. He taught at schools in several southern states before becoming the superintendent in Asheville, North Carolina in 1891 and later superintendent of schools in Farmville, Virginia. During his tenure as state Superintendent of Public Instruction (1906-1912), he worked hard for improvements in rural schools. In January of 1913, he began work with the Field Service in Rural Education in the US Office of Education. The same year, he resigned to take the post of Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) President (1913-1919). In 1919, Eggleston left VPI for the Presidency of his alma mater, Hampden-Sydney College. He served there from 1919 to 1939. Eggleston died in Farmville, Virginia, in 1953.

For more information on Joseph D. Eggleston and his administration at VPI, see:

Kinnear, Duncan Lyle. The First 100 Years; A History of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Blacksburg: Virginia Polytechnic Institute Educational Foundation, 1972.