Rufus William Bailey (April 13, 1793 – April 25, 1863) was the founder of Augusta Female Seminary (later Mary Baldwin College), in Staunton, Virginia, and also president of Austin College, in Huntsville, Texas.
He was ordained as a Congregational minister but later joined the Presbyterian Church.
After serving as principal for seven years, he resigned to become the Virginia agent for the American Colonization Society.
Bailey was a prolific writer whose works include English Grammar (1853) and The Scholar's Companion (1856).
Bailey became a professor of languages at Austin College in Huntsville, Texas, in 1858.