The National cyclopædia of American biography : being the history of the United States as illustrated in the lives of the founders, builders, and defenders of the republic, and of the men and women who are doing the work and moulding the thought of the present time, edited by distinguished biographers, selected from each state, revised and approved by the most eminent historians, scholars, and statesmen of the day . us wasdescended from Sir WilliamByrd, the founder of Rich-mond and Petersburg, Va.,and from Gov. WilliamAdair, of Kentucky. Hewas fitted for college underprivate tutors, and in 184
The National cyclopædia of American biography : being the history of the United States as illustrated in the lives of the founders, builders, and defenders of the republic, and of the men and women who are doing the work and moulding the thought of the present time, edited by distinguished biographers, selected from each state, revised and approved by the most eminent historians, scholars, and statesmen of the day . us wasdescended from Sir WilliamByrd, the founder of Rich-mond and Petersburg, Va.,and from Gov. WilliamAdair, of Kentucky. Hewas fitted for college underprivate tutors, and in 1840entered Nashville university,but he was obliged to leaveat the end of two years onaccount of sickness inducedby oversludy. His father,fearing for his sons health, ?firmly but kindly declinedto send him back to his stud-ies. Rufus, however, hadset his heart upon an educa-tion, and finally secured hisreluctant consent to ascheme by which hewas to return if hestill wished to do so,after he had earnedfor himself the nec-essary funds. In three years and a, half he saved$1,050, and entirely recovered his health. He thenentered the Western theological institute, Coving-ton, Ky., and was graduated in 1847. Soon afterhe became pastor of the First Baptist church ofHouston, Tex., continuing there until 1851, when hewas elected president of Baylor university, Tex., aninstitution which had never been strong, and which. ft^L^ /U (^O-t^i-^-^i-iHrvi- OF AMERICAN BIOGKAPHY. 333 was threatened with complete dissolution at thattime by the sudden resignation of the president andthe entire faculty. He has filled this position eversince, having had a longer term of service, it seems,than any college president except Dr. Bliphalet Nottand Dr. Francis Wayland. Thus, in a sense, hehas made the university his own. It has grownsteadily under his management, until it lias an en-rollment of about 700 male and female students, andit has had a proportional increase in efficiency. Hehas instructed over 6,00
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