| Benjamin Lee Arnold | |
| Order: | 3rd |
| President of Oregon State University | |
| Term Start: | 1872 |
| Term End: | 1892 |
| Birth Date: | October 29, 1839 |
| Birth Place: | Mecklenburg, Virginia |
| Death Date: | January 30, 1892 (aged 52) |
| Death Place: | Corvallis, Oregon |
| Predecessor: | Joseph Emery |
| Successor: | John Davidson Letcher |
| Alma Mater: | Randolph-Macon College |
Benjamin Lee Arnold (died January 30, 1892) was an American academic and the second president of Oregon State University.
Benjamin Lee Arnold grew up in Mecklenburg County, Virginia.[1] He received his B.S. from Randolph Macon College and taught in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. After graduating from Randolph-Macon College, he joined up with the Confederate States Army and served under General Robert E. Lee, he was discharged three months later because of a physical problem. After recovering, he started his career as a teacher.[2]
Before coming to Oregon State University, he taught at several schools including West Tennessee College (now Union University) in Jackson and Virginia. In the summer of 1872, he was appointed as the president of Oregon State University by the bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and came to Corvallis, Oregon, in September of the same year.[2] As a Confederate veteran, arrived at the college "prepared to take charge of neglected military tactics as soon as arms arrived," and is credited with starting Oregon State University Army ROTC. He served in that capacity until his death on January 30, 1892.
He died on January 30, 1892, during his incumbency as a president there.[2]