This paper examines the contribution of William Boyd (1874-1962) to the development of educational studies in the first half of the twentieth century. It traces his involvement in, and contribution to, many different fields of enquiry that were important in the subsequent evolution of education as an academic discipline. As Head of the Education Department at the University of Glasgow for nearly forty years, Boyd was able to initiate a range of activities which prepared the ground for the efforts of later researchers. It will be shown that he was ahead of his time in promoting progressive ideas (partly through the New Education Fellowship), in advocating the involvement of classroom teachers in educational research, and in realising the importance of adult education as part of community development. Although Boyd was a prominent public figure and acquired an international reputation, he was never awarded a professorship: the paper concludes by discussing possible reasons for this and by suggesting areas for more detailed investigation of his achievements.