Alexander Hamilton McGuffey, also known as Alexander H. McGuffey, (August 13, 1816 – June 3, 1896) was an editor of the fifth and sixth of the series of ''

McGuffey Readers The Eclectic Readers (commonly, but informally known as the McGuffey Readers) were a series of graded primers for grade levels 1–6. They were widely used as textbooks in American schools from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century, and ...

''. His brother

William Holmes McGuffey William Holmes McGuffey (September 23, 1800 – May 4, 1873) was a college professor and president who is best known for writing the ''McGuffey Readers'', the first widely used series of elementary school-level textbooks. More than 120 million cop ...

edited the first four readers in the series. Alexander McGuffey began his career as an educator, before becoming a lawyer. He was secretary and treasurer of the Trustees of

Cincinnati College The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

, responsible for pulling the institution out of debt after poor financial practices and two significant fires.

Early life and education

William McGuffey House, front and eastern side

Alexander Hamilton McGuffy was born in

Trumbull County, Ohio Trumbull County is a county in the far northeast portion of U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 201,977. Its county seat is Warren, which developed industry along the Mahoning River. Trumbull County is part of the ...

on August 13, 1816. His parents were intellectual, refined Scottish people. When he was nine or ten years old, he was placed under the care of his twenty-six year old brother

. He lived at his brother's house in Oxford, Ohio, where he studied Hebrew. At the age of sixteen, he graduated from

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 1 ...

, attending the school from 1826 to 1831.

Career

He taught

Stanley Matthews Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE (1 February 1915 – 23 February 2000) was an English footballer who played as an outside right. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the British game, he is the only player to have been knighted while st ...

and his siblings and boarded at the Matthews home, which was near the house of Dr.

Lyman Beecher Lyman Beecher (October 12, 1775 – January 10, 1863) was a Presbyterian minister, and the father of 13 children, many of whom became noted figures, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry Ward Beecher, Charles Beecher, Edward Beecher, Isabella Be ...

. McGuffey was friends with

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel '' Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the ha ...

. He was hired by Woodward College in Cincinnati to be a professor of '' Belles-lettres''. Within a few years he became the chair of the Ancient Languages department at Woodward. His brother William was also a professor at Woodland College. He chose to become a lawyer and was admitted to the Cincinnati bar when he was twenty-one years of age. His office was near that of

Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, a ...

. He entered into a law partnership with his son-in-law Henry Albert Morrill in 1869. Morrill married Anna McGuffey in 1867. Winthrop B. Smith planned to publish a series of elementary English text books, known as the ''

''. They were written by the McGuffey brothers, William and Alexander. William wrote the first four readers, and was believed to have had assistance from Alexander McGuffey, who wrote the Fifth and Sixth Reader. He entered into a contract with W. B. Smith on September 30, 1841 to create a rhetorical reading book. The ''McGuffey’s Rhetorical Guide or Fifth Reader of the Eclectic Series'' was published in 1844. In 1845, McGuffey became secretary and treasurer of the Trustees of

when the institution was in debt and had suffered fires that gutted the school building. After several years, he had eliminated the school's debt. He was then the President of the Board of Trustees of the

Miami Medical College The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

and Director of

McMicken University The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

Personal life

He was married to Elizabeth M. Drake, the daughter of Dr.

Daniel Drake Daniel Drake (October 20, 1785 – November 5, 1852) was a pioneering American physician and prolific writer. Early life Drake was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, to Isaac Drake and Elizabeth Shotwell. He was the elder brother of Benjamin ...

, with whom they had children. After Elizabeth's death, he married Caroline V. Rich of Buston, with whom he had three children. McGuffey lived in Cincinnati and was an Episcopalian until his death on June 4, 1896. When he died, he was survived by his wife and nine children.

Legacy

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGuffey, Alexander Hamiton 1816 births 1896 deaths American non-fiction writers American people of Scotch-Irish descent Lawyers from Cincinnati Writers from Cincinnati Miami University alumni