Devello Z. Sheffield.

About Devello Z. Sheffield

Devello Zelotes Sheffield was an American missionary, educator, and inventor. After serving with the 7th New York Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War, he began a career in education before becoming a Presbyterian minister. Soon after, he was sent on a mission to Tongzhou, China. Although he found little success with direct evangelization efforts, he recognized the potential value of schooling young locals in theological and secular subjects. He led the school in Tongzhou until it was designated as the North China College in 1893; he then became the president of the college, a position he held until 1909. He returned to teaching in 1910 and continued to do so until his health failed in late 1912; he died the following July.