Stouffer received bachelor's and master's degrees from
Drake University in
Des Moines, Iowa. In 1911 he received a Ph.D. in mathematics from the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign under
Ernest Julius Wilczynski with thesis
Invariants of Linear Differential Equations, with Applications to Ruled Surfaces in Five-Dimensional Space. Stouffer became at the University of Kansas in 1914 assistant professor, in 1917 associate professor and in 1921 full professor. In 1922 he also became dean of the Graduate School. In 1946–1951 he was dean of the University during its academic expansion program after World War II. He retired as dean in 1951 but continued teaching until 1955. He was awarded a
Guggenheim Fellowship for the academic year 1926–1927. His doctoral students include
Wealthy Babcock. At the University of Kansas, the E. B. Stouffer Professorship of Mathematics was established in his honor. ==Selected publications==