Early Years
Ruffner returned to Lexington in January 1845. In June he received his AM from Washington College. About the same time he established a Sunday school for African Americans at the Presbyterian church, although it was discontinued when he left to continue his studies at Union Theological Seminary (later Union Presbyterian Seminary), in Prince Edward County. In 1846, he matriculated at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he was exposed to the conservative Calvinism of its influential professors. Poor health caused him to withdraw during the spring of 1847. That year his father published Address to the People of West Virginia, in which he advocated the gradual emancipation of slaves in western Virginia to prevent unproductive slave labor from causing the same kind of economic malaise experienced in the eastern part of the state. The resulting controversy played a large role in Henry Ruffner's resignation as president of Washington College.
Slavery, Colonization, and War
Periodic episodes of poor health and a severe throat ailment, in addition to the controversy surrounding his book, led Ruffner to resign as pastor in April 1853. Settling in Rockingham County, he leased a farm near his wife's family and also invested in a Harrisonburg tannery. He hired at least four slaves and relied on the labor of six others who were gifts from his father-in-law. As he did in Lexington, Ruffner established a Sunday school for African Americans, although he was careful to note that he provided only oral instruction, since Virginia law forbade teaching groups of African Americans to read. Between April and December 1856 he also edited the Virginia Farmer, a short-lived monthly periodical. He indulged his love of geology during the summer and autumn of 1860 when he took an expedition around the state with his friend and Washington College professor John L. Campbell.
Superintendent of Public Instruction
With four months until schools were scheduled to open, Ruffner and the board of education, which consisted of himself, the governor, and the attorney general, hired about 1,400 county superintendents and school trustees. Schools began opening on November 1, 1870, although funding was still not entirely in place and some teachers were not fully paid until the end of the five-month school year. About 130,000 students attended the almost 3,000 public schools that opened in the first year, including about 39,000 African Americans. Ruffner realized quickly that the great demand for teachers meant that standards for qualification were not always met and he therefore advocated teacher institutes and a normal school to provide adequate training. The General Assembly rebuffed his requests for a normal school, but he secured money from the Peabody Fund to help finance local institutes. In 1880 Ruffner was able to implement separate six-week summer institutes for white and African American teachers.
He had to combat additional hostility toward the school system, including an 1875 attack by the Richmond College professor Bennett Puryear, who argued that public schools undermined parental authority by controlling what children learned about any subject, including morality and religion. Ruffner responded in the Educational Journal of Virginia that public schools were a "fixed fact" and that while moral instruction was an important part of the curriculum, the schools left religious instruction to parents and the church and were not a threat to the social order.
His extensive public advocacy for schools attracted attention across the state and throughout the country. Washington and Lee University awarded him an honorary LLD for his work in 1874. In 1875–1876 he served a term as president of the Educational Association of Virginia (later Virginia Education Association). He served multiple terms as a vice president of the American Social Sciences Association between 1876 and 1882. Ruffner attended meetings of the National Educational Association's Department of Superintendence (later the American Association of School Administrators) and served a term as president in 1882. He chaired its committees on national legislation and aid to education in 1874 and 1880, and on multiple occasions urged members of Congress to distribute more money from the sale of public lands to school systems in southern states.
When the General Assembly established Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (later Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) in 1872 under the terms of the Morrill Land Grant Act (1862), Ruffner was given responsibility for about $500,000 worth of bonds purchased by the board of education. As the state superintendent of public instruction, Ruffner was named one of the curators of the fund at Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (later Hampton University), which received one-third of the land grant funds, and a board member of the new college, which received the remainder. He chaired the committee to develop a plan of organization for the agricultural school, which he believed should be technical in nature to meet the practical needs of its students, although the board ultimately adopted a more traditional liberal arts curriculum. Twice offered the presidency of the new college in Blacksburg, he declined in 1872 and in 1880.
Later Years
Ruffner was twice reelected state superintendent of public instruction, although he faced opposition from some Conservatives in 1874, in part because of his refusal to name a uniform series of textbooks for the entire state, angering publishing houses. The board of education selected recommended texts in each subject, but Ruffner believed that local school systems were the most qualified to select suitable books for each locality. After his reelection in 1878, he faced a serious battle for the post in 1882. On January 13, the assembly elected Richard R. Farr, a Readjuster member of the House of Delegates, as superintendent of public instruction. Rather than serving out his term, Ruffner submitted his resignation later that month, effective February 1.
After retiring, Ruffner accepted a faculty position at Roanoke College, where he taught geology, mineralogy, and the science of teaching. Later in 1882, he and John L. Campbell completed a survey for the Georgia Pacific Railway Company and published A Physical Survey Extending from Atlanta, Ga., … to the Mississippi River … (1883), which played a key role in developing industry in northern Alabama. Ruffner's return to geology was short-lived, however. In 1884 the General Assembly approved the creation of a teacher training school for white women at Farmville, which he had long advocated. Ruffner was named to the board of trustees and at its first meeting on April 9, he was elected principal of the State Female Normal School. He visited normal schools around the country to study their curricula and hired the faculty before the new school opened on October 30. Intended to train teachers for all grade levels, its early emphasis was on training elementary school teachers. Students took courses in grammar, literature, history, math, and science in addition to those in instructional methods and school management. Ruffner taught classes in didactics, ethics, psychology, and natural science and he called for more educational opportunities for women. He declined reelection as principal in April 1887 and resigned in June.
After his wife's death on October 18, 1895, Ruffner began spending more time in Asheville, North Carolina, with his daughter. He remained interested in educational matters, and when the town of Manassas in 1900 dedicated an expanded school named for Ruffner, he published a letter in the Virginia School Journal calling for more secondary education in the state and urging county superintendents to be stronger public school advocates.
Ruffner died at his daughter's home in Asheville on November 24, 1908, and was buried at Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery, in Lexington. School buildings have been named for Ruffner in several localities, including Norfolk and Roanoke. In 1948 the State Board of Education named the administration building at Longwood University Ruffner Hall. The University of Virginia in 1974 named the building that housed its education department in Ruffner's honor. In 1976 the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University board of visitors established the William H. Ruffner Medal, awarded to individuals who have performed distinguished service for the university.
Major Works
Time Line
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February 11, 1824 - William Henry Ruffner is born in Lexington. He is the son of Henry Ruffner and his first wife, Sarah Montgomery Lyle Ruffner.
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1842 - William Henry Ruffner earns his AB from Washington College and gives a commencement speech on "The Power of Knowledge."
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1843 - William Henry Ruffner travels to Kanawha County to manage his family's salt-mine business.
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January 1845 - William Henry Ruffner returns to Lexington after spending two years in Kanawha County managing his family's salt-mine business.
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June 1845 - William Henry Ruffner earns his AM from Washington College.
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1846 - William Henry Ruffner matriculates at Princeton Theological Seminary.
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Spring 1847 - William Henry Ruffner withdraws from Princeton Theological Seminary due to ill health.
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November 1847 - William Henry Ruffner becomes a traveling agent for the American Colonization Society.
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February 2, 1848 - William Henry Ruffner is licensed by the Presbytery of New Brunswick, New Jersey.
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1849–1851 - William Henry Ruffner serves as chaplain of the University of Virginia.
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February 1849 - William Henry Ruffner accepts the pastorate at Charlotte Court House.
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September 3, 1850 - William Henry Ruffner and Harriet Ann Gray marry. They will have two sons and two daughters.
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April 1851 - William Henry Ruffner accepts the call of Seventh Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.
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January 14, 1852 - William Henry Ruffner is ordained a Presbyterian minister.
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July 4, 1852 - William Henry Ruffner gives a sermon advocating the colonization of freed slaves.
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April 1853 - William Henry Ruffner resigns as pastor of Seventh Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia amid controversy surrounding his antislavery views. He settles in Rockingham County.
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April–December 1856 - William Henry Ruffner edits the Virginia Farmer.
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February 1860 - Amid threats of secession, William Henry Ruffner joins others in calling for a pro-union meeting in Harrisonburg.
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1861 - After Virginia secedes, William Henry Ruffner joins a home guard unit supporting the Confederacy.
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1864–1865 - William Henry Ruffner and his family flee from Rockingham to Bedford, Campbell, and Amherst counties.
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1868–1869 - William Henry Ruffner serves as a supply pastor at Ben Salem Church, near Lexington.
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March 1, 1870 - The General Assembly nominates William Henry Ruffner to serve as the superintendent of public instruction.
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March 2, 1870 - The General Assembly elects William Henry Ruffner to serve as the superintendent of public instruction.
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July 1870 - The General Assembly passes An Act to Establish and Maintain a Uniform System of Public Free Schools; the law requires racial segregation in the schools.
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July 11, 1870 - Governor Gilbert C. Walker signs An Act to Establish and Maintain a Uniform System of Public Free Schools.
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November 1, 1870 - Virginia's first public schools begin opening. About 130,000 students attend 3,000 schools.
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1872 - William Henry Ruffner is given responsibility for about $500,000 of bonds related to the establishment of the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College.
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1872 - William Henry Ruffner declines an offer to serve as president of the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College.
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1874 - Citing problems with his throat, William Henry Ruffner requests divesture from Ben Salem Church, near Lexington.
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1874 - Washington and Lee University awards William Henry Ruffner an honorary LLD.
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1875–1876 - William Henry Ruffner serves a term as president of the Educational Association of Virginia.
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1876–1882 - William Henry Ruffner serves multiple terms as a vice president of the American Social Sciences Association.
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1876 - William Henry Ruffner and Robert Lewis Dabney publicly debate the social worthiness of public schools.
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1876 - Superintendent of Public Instruction William Henry Ruffner reports that the state owes the public school system $1.1 million. About 2,000 schools are closed over next year.
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1878 - The General Assembly reelects William Henry Ruffner as superintendent of public instruction.
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1878 - Superintendent of Public Instruction William Henry Ruffner reports that the state owes the public school system at least $400,000.
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1880 - William Henry Ruffner declines an offer to serve as president of the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College.
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1880 - William Henry Ruffner, the superintendent of public instruction, implements separate six-week summer institutes for white and African American teachers.
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1882 - William Henry Ruffner serves a term as president of the National Education Association's Department of Superintendence.
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January 13, 1882 - The General Assembly elects Richard R. Farr as superintendent of public instruction.
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February 1, 1882 - William Henry Ruffner's resignation as superintendent of public instruction, submitted in January, is effective.
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April 9, 1884 - William Henry Ruffner is elected principal of the State Female Normal School, in Farmville.
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October 30, 1884 - The State Female Normal School opens in Farmville.
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April 1887 - William Henry Ruffner declines reelection as principal of the State Female Normal School, in Farmville.
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June 1887 - William Henry Ruffner resigns as principal of the State Female Normal School, in Farmville.
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Autumn 1887 - William Henry Ruffner works on geology-related projects in Washington Territory.
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1888 - William Henry Ruffner surveys land in Alabama for the Sloss Iron and Steel Company.
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1889 - William Henry Ruffner surveys in the vicinity of Buena Vista.
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1890–1891 - William Henry Ruffner works on geology-related projects in Virginia and West Virginia.
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Late 1892 - William Henry Ruffner spends two months in Washington State working on geology-related projects.
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October 18, 1895 - Harriet Ann Gray Ruffner dies.
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November 24, 1908 - William Henry Ruffner dies at his daughter's home in Asheville, North Carolina.
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1948 - The State Board of Education names the administration building at Longwood University Ruffner Hall.
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1974 - The University of Virginia names the building that houses its education department in honor of William Henry Ruffner.
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1976 - The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University board of visitors establishes the William H. Ruffner Medal, awarded to individuals who have performed distinguished service for the university.
References
Further Reading
External Links
Cite This Entry
- APA Citation:
Julienne, M. E., & the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. William Henry Ruffner (1824–1908). (2016, April 29). In Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Ruffner_William_H_1824-1908.
- MLA Citation:
Julienne, Marianne E. and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. "William Henry Ruffner (1824–1908)." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, 29 Apr. 2016. Web. READ_DATE.
First published: December 15, 2014 | Last modified: April 29, 2016
Contributed by Marianne E. Julienne and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Marianne E. Julienne is editor of the Dictionary of Virginia Biography at the Library of Virginia.