Jay Glover Eldridge was born on November 8, 1875 to William and Augusta Eldridge in Janesville, Wisconsin. He spent his childhood in various states, including Missouri, Kansas, and New York. He attended Yale University and studied modern languages, where he graduated in 1896 and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa fraternity. Eldridge then spent a year in Germany before accepting a position as Professor of Modern Languages at the University of Idaho in 1901. A few of years later, he was appointed the first Dean of the Faculty.

During the first World War, Eldridge served in France with the Young Men's Christian Association. After the war ended, Eldridge returned to the university. In 1923 he helped establish a Phi Beta Kappa fraternity chapter at U of I and eventually served as chapter president. Eldridge was also active in the Moscow community. He was president of the Moscow Choral Society from 1930 to 1931, a leader in the regional Presbyterian Church organization, and Grand Master of the Masonic Lodge in Idaho. Eldridge died in August of 1962.