Boyce (1827-1888) was the first president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He trained for ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary and served as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Columbia, South Carolina. Boyce taught theology at Furman University before leaving to start a new seminary for southerners.

Boyce led and taught at Southern, led a Sunday School class at Broadway Baptist Church, and served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention for seven consecutive terms. He also found time to write a catechism and a book, Abstract of Systematic Theology. Boyce passed away on December 28, 1888, but his legacy lives on through the lasting work of Southern Seminary and Boyce College.