David Ross Boyd

Who was David Ross Boyd?

David Ross Boyd was an American educator and the first president of the University of Oklahoma.

Boyd was born in Coshocton, Ohio, and obtained a doctorate degree from the small Wooster University, where he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He began his career as a superintendent of the Van Wert, Ohio school system from 1880 to 1888 when he left and took over the Arkansas City, Kansas school system. While there, members of the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma came to his schools to view the heating system that Boyd had installed. The Board was impressed and chose him as the University's first president with a salary of $2,400. In addition to his role as University President, he also served as Professor of Mental and Moral Science, as he was a devout Presbyterian.

He brought his religion with him to the university where he held chapel services each morning which included Scripture readings and a brief, three-minute sermon. Around the turn of the 20th century, Boyd was president of the territorial university as well as the territorial Board of Education, making him the most prominent man in education in the area.