McBryde Family Papers,

John McLaren McBryde (January 1, 1841-March 20, 1923) was born in Abbeville, South Carolina to Susan McLaren and John McBryde, a Scottish cotton merchant. In December of 1858, John McLaren McBryde enrolled in South Carolina College in Columbia, South Carolina. He later transferred to the University of Virginia in 1859, leaving in 1861 to fight in the Civil War. Having joined the military, McBryde was stationed on both Sullivan and Morris Island, reportedly seeing the first shot fired on Fort Sumter. In 1862, McBryde contracted typhus fever and was forced to leave the army, but went on to work for the Treasury Department of the Confederate States of America in Richmond, Virginia. In September of 1963, McBryde married Cora Bolton, with whom he later had six children.

Following the end of the Civil War, McBryde began running a large farm (Branchland) in Charlottesville, Virginia. While managing Branchland, McBryde published numerous articles on the subject of agriculture, gaining him the attention that eventually lead to his appointment as a Professor of Agriculture and Botany at the University of Tennessee in 1879. In 1882, McBryde was offered a chair at the South Carolina College, where he remained until 1891, expanding it into a university after becoming president. In 1891, South Carolina University was again reduced to a college and its agricultural department moved to Clemson, leading to McBryde's acceptance of the Presidency at the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College (Virginia A&M or VAMC).

During his time at Virginia Tech, McBryde divided the college into separate departments, expanded the curriculum, oversaw the installation of an infirmary and a new water system, added dormitories and faculty housing, and increased enrollment from 135 students in 1891 to 727 by 1903. After his retirement in 1907, McBryde was the first person elected president emeritus for the college, eventually becoming known as "the father of VPI." In 1923, McBryde died at his son's home in New Orleans but was returned to Blacksburg, Virginia for burial.