William Ivey (W.I.) Cranford was born November 10, 1867 in Ophir, North Carolina. His parents were Joshua A. Cranford and Mary E. Davis. He entered Trinity College (Randolph County) in 1887 and graduated with an A. B. degree in 1891. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1895 and was soon thereafter married to Nellie Edwards. They were the first Trinity graduates to marry each other. He returned to Trinity in 1898 and was professor philosophy and Greek. He held the Carr Professor of Philosophy until his death. In 1910, Professor Cranford was appointed Dean of Trinity College and served in that position until 1917. He died in Durham on August 29, 1936.
From the guide to the William Ivey Cranford Papers, circa 1889-1945, (University Archives, Duke University)
