Edwin Boone Craighead was born in Ham’s Prairie, Missouri in 1861, the son of Oliver and Frances Payne Craighead. He earned degrees in Latin and Greek from Central College in Missouri and later from Vanderbilt University. After studying classical languages and English in London and Paris, he returned to the United States to teach at Neosha Collegiate Institute in Missouri, Emory and Henry College in Virginia and Wofford College in South Carolina. The Board of Trustees of Clemson College invited Craighead for a visit in June 1893 and he was elected President that same month.

As President of Clemson College, Craighead effected a number of changes: he reorganized the faculty into five departments and supervised the construction of the laundry, mess hall, library, and infirmary. Craighead endeavored to maintain high standards for admission to the College and sought ways to improve public schools. These views led to differences of opinion with Senator Benjamin Tillman who wanted to relax standards so that students who came from farm backgrounds within the state could be admitted; Tillman also wanted to strengthen the agriculture component of the College while Craighead wanted to better the liberal arts curriculum. These differences, along with student dissatisfaction, led to the resignation of Craighead in 1897. He returned to Missouri to serve as President of Central College and later Missouri State Normal School. In 1904 Craighead accepted the presidency of Tulane University, a post he held until 1912 when he accepted the presidency of the University of Montana. In 1915 Craighead accepted the job as the Commissioner of Education in North Dakota. In 1917 he returned to Montana to edit a newspaper The New Northwest. He died 22 October 1920.