1914 Biography - Thomas D. Boyd

Boyd, Col. Thomas D., president Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La., was born in Wytheville, Va., Jan. 20, 1854; son of Thomas Jefferson and Minerva A. (French) Boyd, the former of whom was born near Charlottsville, Va., in 1804, and named for Thomas Jefferson, whom he and his family knew personally. His mother was a Miss Magruder of Maryland. He was educated at the University of Virginia and married Miss Minerva French of Giles county, Va., afterward practicing law at Wytheville for many years, attaining the age of nearly 90 years before his death. Thomas D. Boyd, the subject of this sketch, was the ninth of 10 children born to his parents. The father was long prominent in the affairs of Virginia, serving as a member of the state legislature, on the board of public works and filling various other important commissions. He was a colonel of the state guard and one of the builders of the town of Wytheville, in later days owning and conducting a hotel at that place. He was a very active and public-spirited man and enjoyed a reputation for the highest integrity. Thomas D. Boyd passed his boyhood days at Wytheville, Va., coming to Louisiana at the age of 14 years to attend Louisiana State seminary at Alexandria, of which his brother, David French Boyd, was then superintendent. Having been prepared for college by a private teacher, the young man entered the Louisiana university as a sophomore at the age of 14 by reason of his splendid preparation, this being in Sept., 1868. He graduated with the degree of M. A. in 1872, and besides took a part of the civil engineering course at Louisiana State university. He returned to Virginia in 1872, and for a year assisted Charles R. Boyd in making topographical drawings of a survey of the Kanawha river, for the Federal government. He then returned to Louisiana in the autumn of 1873 as assistant professor of mathematics in Louisiana State university and so continued until 1877. During the period when appropriations were withheld from the university he remained with his brother, David French Boyd, who was then president of the university, and served as teacher and later commandant. When the agricultural department was added to the university he continued as assistant professor and commandant of cadets. In 1883, when Col. William Preston Johnston resigned the presidency to become first president of Tulane university, he was selected to fill Col. Johnston's chair of history and English literature, on the recommendation of Col. Johnston, and remained incumbent of this station until 1888, when he resigned from the professorship to become president of the Louisiana State Normal school at Nachitoches. The normal school had been established under Act of 1884, and had held 3 short sessions under the presidency of Dr. Edward E. Sheib, struggling against the handicaps of inadequate funds, poor equipment and insufficient buildings, so that conditions were, to say the least of it, very unfavorable when he took charge of the institution as president and ex-officio conductor of state teachers' institutes, in which capacity he continued until 1896, in which year he was elected president of Louisiana State university, and has remained incumbent of that office to this time. Col. Boyd is a member of all educational associations having membership in Louisiana, and was one of the founders of the Louisiana chautauqua at Ruston. He has served as president of the Louisiana State Educational association and of the Louisiana School Review, and has been a member of the National Educational association many years; also the National Association of State Universities and the Association of American Agricultural Colleges and Experiment Stations. In 1897 he was recommended by Pres. Johnston and given the degree of LL. D. by Tulane university. In 1882 Col. Boyd was married to Miss Annie Fuqua, a daughter of Col. James O. Fuqua of Baton Rouge, and 6 children have been born to their union. Col. Boyd is a member of the Episcopal church and has been a vestryman many years. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias.

Contributed 2021 Nov 04 by Mike Miller, from Louisiana: Comprising Sketches, edited by Alcee Fortier, published in 1914, volume 3, pages 58-59.