Born in Culpeper, VA, Lightfoot earned
a B.A. from Williams College in 1891. In 1912 he was made professor of Latin
at Howard University. With a thesis on Roman satire, he earned an M.A. in 1922
from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Founder of Howard’s
Classical Club, he set up a special program for Vergil’s 2000th birthday
in 1930.