Boyd, David French; Wytheville, Va.; now East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
Submitted by Mike Miller


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Boyd, Major David French, prominent educator, was born at Wytheville, Va.,
Oct. 5, 1834, and graduated from the University of Virginia in the year 1857. 
He came to Louisiana on his way farther west, and was induced to stop in this
state and become a teacher in 1860, at which time he became a member of the
first faculty of the first Louisiana seminary, in which he taught Latin. 
This institution was closed from 1861 to 1865, as an incident of Gen. Banks'
Red river expedition, but in the summer of 1865 Maj. Boyd was invited to
return to Louisiana and take the presidency of the school.  He did so and
remained as such until 1880, when he was succeeded by Col. William Preston
Johnston.  Maj. Boyd served as major of engineers in the Confederate army, and
under the plan of this college it had been provided that the president of the
institution should hold the rank of colonel.  On his retirement from the
presidency he returned to Virginia, and there taught a private school for some
time, later becoming president of the Alabama Polytechnic institute  for one
year, following which he returned to Louisiana in 1884 as president of
Louisiana State university, which position he then continued to occupy for
some years, later resigning to take charge of Kentucky Military institute. 
After some time at the latter institution he became a member of the faculty of
Michigan Military academy, but in 1897 returned to Louisiana university
as professor of philosophy and civics, which station he then continued to
occupy until the time of his death, in May, 1899.  He was married to Miss
Esther Gertrude Wright of Rapides parish in 1865. To them were born 8
children, of whom 6 are now living.  

Source:  Louisiana:  Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events,
Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 57-58. 
Edited by Alcée Fortier, Lit.D.  Published in 1914, by Century Historical
Association.