E. Ruth Pyrtle (1871 – 1947) was associated with Lincoln Public Schools from 1898 until her retirement in 1940. For much of her career, she was principal of either Bancroft or McKinley Schools. In 1921 she ran unsuccessfully for Nebraska Superintendent of Public Instruction. In 1929 she was elected national president of the National Education Association.
Miss Pyrtle was a prolific contributor to education journals and in 1930 published a book, Early Virginia Families. She died in 1947 at the age of 76.
