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List of presidents of Washington & Jefferson College

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McMillan Hall, an historic building that houses the Office of the President

Washington & Jefferson College is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, which is located in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to the American frontier in the 1780s: John McMillan, Thaddeus Dod, and Joseph Smith. These early schools eventually grew into two competing academies and colleges, with Canonsburg Academy, later Jefferson College, located in Canonsburg and Washington Academy, later Washington College, in Washington. These two colleges merged in 1865 to form Washington & Jefferson College.

The Office of the President is located in McMillan Hall, which is the oldest building on campus, dating to 1793.[1][2] Prior to 1912, the Office of the President was located in Old Main, taking the two rooms on either side of that building's main entrance.[1] The President's House is a 17-room Victorian mansion on East Wheeling Street between the U. Grant Miller Library and The Burnett Center.[3][4] It was built in 1892 by the Duncan family and is an archetypical Queen Anne Victorian style building, with ornate "gingerbread" details, stained and beveled glass, recessed doors and windows, and louvered wooden shutters.[4]

The president is the chief executive officer of the college.[5] According to the Washington & Jefferson College Charter, the president of the college is elected by the Board of Trustees, who can also remove him or her at will.[6] The person holding this office must be an American citizen and is also considered to be a member of the teaching faculty.[6] No one may be excluded from holding the presidency on "account of the religious sect or denomination to which he belongs or adheres, provided he shall demean himself in a soberly, orderly manner, and conform to the lawful rules and regulations of the college."[6]

Two men, Andrew Wylie and Matthew Brown, each served as president of both Jefferson College and Washington College. Several early presidents of Jefferson College had close ties to John McMillan, including his son-in-law John Watson and his nephew William McMillan.[7] James Dunlap was one of McMillan's early students.[7] Other Jefferson College presidents held strong bonds with Matthew Brown, including his son Alexander Blaine Brown and his protégé and son-in-law David Hunter Riddle.[8][9] James I. Brownson, who was a long-time pastor at the First Presbyterian Church, served two separate terms as president pro tempore, once for Washington College and later for Washington & Jefferson College.[10] During World War II, Ralph Cooper Hutchison simultaneously served as president of the college and as Director of Civilian Defense for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.[11] Boyd Crumrine Patterson was the most recent Washington & Jefferson alumnus to serve as president. In 2005, Tori Haring-Smith became the first woman to serve as president.

Founding and early leadership

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One of the three college founders, John McMillan

Washington & Jefferson College originates from three log cabin colleges established by John McMillan, Thaddeus Dod, and Joseph Smith, Presbyterian missionaries to the American frontier in the 1780s.[12] John McMillan came to present-day Washington County in 1775 and built his college in 1780 near his church in Chartiers, where he taught a mixture of college-level students and elementary students.[12] Thaddeus Dod built his college in Lower Ten Mile in 1781, teaching mathematics and the classics.[13] Joseph Smith taught classical studies in his college, called "The Study" at Buffalo.[13]

In 1787, Washington Academy was officially chartered, and Thaddeus Dod was named the first principal on January 20, 1789, a position he held until July 1790.[14][15] He was succeeded by David Johnson, who left for Canonsburg in July 1791.[16] While the Washington Academy Board of Trustees still met during the period of unrest following the Whiskey Act and the subsequent Whiskey Rebellion, educational activities at the academy were essentially at a standstill.[17] James Dobbins took control of the school between 1796 and 1801.[18] Benjamin Mills followed, serving as principal from 1801 to 1805.[16] In 1806, Matthew Brown began his term that would end later that year with the chartering of Washington College.[18]

Efforts to found the school that would become Canonsburg Academy began in October 1791.[19] David Johnson was brought to Canonsburg from Washington Academy in July 1791.[20] He taught several students there for a few years, before leaving in 1793.[21][22] In 1798, John McMillan became the next person to hold the title of principal, then a largely ceremonial position.[23] In 1802, the academy was chartered as "Jefferson College."[19]

Presidents of Jefferson College

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  • A "–" indicates that the individual served as president pro tempore.
# Image Name Term begin Term end Notes References
1 John Watson
(1771–1802) 		August 29, 1802 November 30, 1802[nb 1] Tutored by John McMillan and attended Canonsburg Academy [25]
2 James Dunlap
(1744–1818) 		April 27, 1803 April 25, 1811 [26]
3 Andrew Wylie
(1789–1851) 		April 29, 1812 April 1816 Graduate of Jefferson College (1810); later served as president of Washington College (1817–1828) [27][28][29]
4 William McMillan
(1777–1832) 		September 24, 1817 August 14, 1822 Graduate of Jefferson College (1802) [30]
5 Matthew Brown
(1776–1853) 		September 25, 1822 September 27, 1845 Previously served as president of Washington College (1806–1817) [31][32][33]
6 Robert Jefferson Breckinridge
(1800–1871) 		January 2, 1845 June 9, 1847 Declined offer to assume the presidency of the united Washington & Jefferson College in 1865 [34][35]
7 Alexander Blaine Brown
(1808–1863) 		October 14, 1847 August 1856 [8]
8 Joseph Alden
(1807–1885) 		January 7, 1857 November 4, 1862 [33][36]
9 David Hunter Riddle
(1805–1888) 		November 4, 1862 March 4, 1865[nb 2] Graduate of Jefferson College (1823) [33][37]

Presidents of Washington College

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# Image Name Term begin Term end Notes References
1 Matthew Brown
(1776–1853) 		December 16, 1806 April 30, 1817 Later served as president of Washington College (1822–1845) [31][32][33]
2 Andrew Wylie
(1789–1851) 		April 30, 1817 December 9, 1828 Graduate of Jefferson College (1810); previously served as president of Jefferson College (1813–1816) [27][28][29]
3 David Elliott
(1787–1874) 		September 28, 1830 November 7, 1831 [38][39]
4 David McConaughy
(1775–1852) 		December 21, 1831 September 27, 1849 [33][40]
5 James Clark
(1812–1892) 		May 6, 1850 July 13, 1852 [41][42]
– James I. Brownson
(1817–1899) 		July 13, 1852 September 20, 1853 Graduate of Washington College (1835); later served as president pro tempore of Washington & Jefferson College (1870) [43][44][45]
6 John W. Scott
(1807–1897) 		November 10, 1852 March 4, 1865[nb 2] Graduate of Jefferson College (1827) [46]

Presidents of Washington & Jefferson College

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# Image Name Term begin Term end Notes References
1 Jonathan Edwards
(1817–1891) 		April 4, 1866 April 20, 1869 [47]
– Samuel J. Wilson
(1828–1883) 		April 20, 1869 August 4, 1869 Graduate of Washington College (1852) [48]
– James I. Brownson
(1817–1899) 		February 1, 1870 August 3, 1870 Graduate of Washington College (1835); previously served as president pro tempore of Washington (1852–1853) [43][44][45]
2 George P. Hays
(1838–1897) 		August 3, 1870 June 20, 1881 Graduate of Jefferson College (1857) [49][50]
3 James D. Moffat
(1846–1916) 		November 16, 1881 January 1, 1915 Graduate of Washington & Jefferson College (1869) [50][51]
4 Frederick W. Hinitt
(1866–1927) 		January 4, 1915 June 30, 1918 [52]
– William E. Slemmons
(1855–1939) 		May 1918 June 1919 [53]
5 Samuel Charles Black
(1869–1921) 		April 18, 1919 July 15, 1921 [50][54]
6 Simon Strousse Baker
(1866–1932) 		(Acting from July 15, 1921) January 26, 1922 May 13, 1931 Graduate of Washington & Jefferson College (1892) [55]
7 Ralph Cooper Hutchison
(1898–1966) 		November 13, 1931 May 7, 1945 [11]
8 James Herbert Case, Jr.
(1906–1965) 		May 4, 1946 March 25, 1950 [56]
9 Boyd Crumrine Patterson
(1902–1988) 		March 24, 1950 June 30, 1970 Graduate of Washington & Jefferson College (1923) [57]
10 Howard Jerome Burnett
(1929–2019) 		July 1, 1970 June 30, 1998 [58]
11 Brian C. Mitchell
(born 1953) 		June 2, 1998 July 1, 2004 [59][60]
– G. Andrew Rembert March 5, 2004 December 31, 2004 [61]
12 Tori Haring-Smith January 1, 2005 August 1, 2017 [62]
13 John C. Knapp
(born 1959) 		August 1, 2017 June 30, 2024 [63]
14 Elizabeth MacLeod Walls
(born 1974) 		June 30, 2024 present Selection announced on February 27, 2024 [64]

Notes

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  1. ^ In the interim between John Watson's death and James Dunlap's election, John McMillan managed the operations of Jefferson College.[24]
  2. ^ a b Riddle and Scott were in office until the creation of the unified Washington & Jefferson College, which was chartered on March 4, 1865.[33]

References

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General
  • Coleman, Helen Turnbull Waite (1956). Banners in the Wilderness: The Early Years of Washington and Jefferson College. University of Pittsburgh Press. pp. 230–231. OCLC 2191890.
Specific
  1. ^ a b "McMillan Hall". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  2. ^ "Washington & Jefferson College Style Guide" (PDF). Washington & Jefferson College. 2005-11-07. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 27, 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  3. ^ Washington & Jefferson College Campus Map (PDF) (Map) (April 2010 ed.). Office of Communications, Washington & Jefferson College. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2011. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
  4. ^ a b "Victorian houses (Admissions House and President's House)". Historic Campus Architecture Project. Council of Independent Colleges. Archived from the original on 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
  5. ^ "W&J: President Tori Haring-Smith". Washington & Jefferson College. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
  6. ^ a b c Coleman 1956 pp. 214–220
  7. ^ a b Coleman 1956 p. 60
  8. ^ a b "Alexander B. Brown (1847–1856)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  9. ^ Coleman 1956 pp. 100–101
  10. ^ "Fifty Years a Minister; The Reverend J.I. Brownson's Golden Jubilee to be Celebrated". The New York Times. 1891-11-25. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  11. ^ a b "Ralph Cooper Hutchison (1931–1945)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Archived from the original on 2019-12-16. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  12. ^ a b Coleman 1956 pp. 4–7
  13. ^ a b Wickersham, James (1886). A History of Education in Pennsylvania, Private and Public, Elementary and Higher. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Inquirer Publishing Company. pp. 400–401.
  14. ^ Coleman 1956 p. 21
  15. ^ Coleman 1956 pp. 28–29
  16. ^ a b Coleman 1956 p. 32
  17. ^ Coleman 1956 pp. 34–35
  18. ^ a b Coleman 1956 p. 43
  19. ^ a b Coleman 1956 pp. 45–58
  20. ^ Coleman 1956 p. 34
  21. ^ Coleman 1956 p. 47
  22. ^ Coleman 1956 p. 53
  23. ^ Coleman 1956 p. 51
  24. ^ Coleman 1956 p. 61
  25. ^ "John Watson (1802–1802)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  26. ^ "James Dunlap (1803–1811)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  27. ^ a b Eaton, Samuel John Mills; Woods, Henry (1902). "Wylie, Andrew". Biographical and Historical Catalogue of Washington and Jefferson College. Philadelphia: G.H. Buchanan and Company. p. 23. OCLC 2379959. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  28. ^ a b "Andrew Wylie (1812–1816)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Archived from the original on 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  29. ^ a b "Andrew Wylie (1817–1828)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  30. ^ "William McMillan (1817–1822)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  31. ^ a b "Matthew Brown (1822–1845)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  32. ^ a b "Matthew Brown (1806–1817)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  33. ^ a b c d e f Coleman 1956 p. 230
  34. ^ "Robert J. Breckinridge (1845–1847)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  35. ^ Coleman 1956 pp. 143–149
  36. ^ "Joseph Alden (1857–1862)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  37. ^ "David H. Riddle (1862–Union of the Colleges)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
  38. ^ "David Elliott (1830–1831)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  39. ^ "David Elliott (1787–1874)". Encyclopedia Dicksonia. Dickinson College – Archives and Special Collections. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  40. ^ "David McConaughy (1831–1849)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  41. ^ "James Clark (1850–1852)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  42. ^ Symmes, Frank Rosebrook (1904). "Chapter XIII – Reverend James Clark, D.D. 1837–1839". History of the Old Tennent Church (2 ed.). Cranberry, New Jersey: G.W. Burroughs. p. 132.
  43. ^ a b "James I. Brownson (Pro Tem. 1852–1853)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  44. ^ a b "James I. Brownson (Pro Tem. 1870)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  45. ^ a b Eaton, Samuel John Mills; Woods, Henry (1902). "Brownson, James Irwin". Biographical and Historical Catalogue of Washington and Jefferson College. Philadelphia: G.H. Buchanan and Company. p. 311. OCLC 2379959. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  46. ^ "John W. Scott (1852-Union of the Colleges)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  47. ^ "Jonathan Edwards (1866–1869)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  48. ^ "Samuel J. Wilson (Pro Tem. 1869)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  49. ^ "George P. Hays (1870–1881)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  50. ^ a b c Coleman 1956 p. 231
  51. ^ "James D. Moffat (1881–1915)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  52. ^ "Frederick W. Hinitt (Pro Tem. 1915–1918)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  53. ^ "William E. Slemmons (Pro Tem. 1918–1919)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  54. ^ "Samuel Charles Black (1919–1921)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  55. ^ "Simon Strousse Baker (1922–1931)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Archived from the original on 2024-05-24. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  56. ^ "James Herbert Case, Jr. (1946–1949)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  57. ^ "Boyd Crumrine Patterson (1950–1970)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  58. ^ "Howard Jerome Burnett (1970–1998)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  59. ^ "Brian C. Mitchell (1998–2004)". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  60. ^ "Dr. Brian C. Mitchell Named President of Washington and Jefferson College". Washington & Jefferson College. July 13, 1998. Archived from the original on January 29, 1999. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  61. ^ "G. Andrew Rembert (Pro Tem. 2004 )". U. Grant Miller Library Digital Archives. Washington & Jefferson College. 2003-09-04. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  62. ^ "W&J Names Tori Haring-Smith, Ph.D. 12th President". W&J News. Washington & Jefferson College. 2004-10-12. Archived from the original on 2004-12-16. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  63. ^ npgadmin (2017-04-21). "Dr. John C. Knapp Named 13th President of Washington & Jefferson College". Washington & Jefferson College. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  64. ^ "Washington & Jefferson College names next president". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
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