List of presidents of 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. 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. The President's House is a 17-room Victorian mansion on East Wheeling Street between the U. Grant Miller Library and The Burnett Center. 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.
The president is the chief executive officer of the college. According to the, the president of the college is elected by the Board of Trustees, who can also remove him or her at will. The person holding this office must be an American citizen and is also considered to be a member of the teaching faculty. 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."
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. James Dunlap was one of McMillan's early students. 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. 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. 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. 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

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. 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. Thaddeus Dod built his college in Lower Ten Mile in 1781, teaching mathematics and the classics. Joseph Smith taught classical studies in his college, called "The Study" at Buffalo.
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. He was succeeded by David Johnson, who left for Canonsburg in July 1791. 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. James Dobbins took control of the school between 1796 and 1801. Benjamin Mills followed, serving as principal from 1801 to 1805. In 1806, Matthew Brown began his term that would end later that year with the chartering of Washington College.
Efforts to found the school that would become Canonsburg Academy began in October 1791. David Johnson was brought to Canonsburg from Washington Academy in July 1791. He taught several students there for a few years, before leaving in 1793. In 1798, John McMillan became the next person to hold the title of principal, then a largely ceremonial position. In 1802, the academy was chartered as "Jefferson College."

Presidents of Jefferson College

#NameTerm beginTerm endNotesReferences
1John WatsonAugust 29, 1802November 30, 1802Tutored by John McMillan and attended Canonsburg Academy
2James DunlapApril 27, 1803April 25, 1811
3Andrew WylieApril 29, 1812April 1816Graduate of Jefferson College ; later served as president of Washington College
4William McMillanSeptember 24, 1817August 14, 1822Graduate of Jefferson College
5Matthew BrownSeptember 25, 1822September 27, 1845Previously served as president of Washington College
6Robert Jefferson BreckinridgeJanuary 2, 1845June 9, 1847Declined offer to assume the presidency of the united Washington & Jefferson College in 1865
7Alexander Blaine BrownOctober 14, 1847August 1856
8Joseph AldenJanuary 7, 1857November 4, 1862
9David Hunter RiddleNovember 4, 1862March 4, 1865Graduate of Jefferson College

Presidents of Washington College

#NameTerm beginTerm endNotesReferences
1Matthew BrownDecember 16, 1806April 30, 1817Later served as president of Washington College
2Andrew WylieApril 30, 1817December 9, 1828Graduate of Jefferson College ; previously served as president of Jefferson College
3David ElliottSeptember 28, 1830November 7, 1831
4David McConaughyDecember 21, 1831September 27, 1849
5James ClarkMay 6, 1850July 13, 1852
–James I. BrownsonJuly 13, 1852September 20, 1853Graduate of Washington College ; later served as president pro tempore of Washington & Jefferson College
6John W. ScottNovember 10, 1852March 4, 1865Graduate of Jefferson College

Presidents of Washington & Jefferson College

#NameTerm beginTerm endNotesReferences
1Jonathan EdwardsApril 4, 1866April 20, 1869
–Samuel J. WilsonApril 20, 1869August 4, 1869Graduate of Washington College
–James I. BrownsonFebruary 1, 1870August 3, 1870Graduate of Washington College ; previously served as president pro tempore of Washington
2George P. HaysAugust 3, 1870June 3, 1881Graduate of Jefferson College
3James D. MoffatNovember 16, 1881April 15, 1914Graduate of Washington & Jefferson College
4Frederick W. HinittSeptember 23, 1914June 30, 1918
–William E. SlemmonsMay 1918June 1919
5Samuel Charles BlackApril 18, 1919July 15, 1921
6Simon Strousse BakerJanuary 26, 1922May 13, 1931Graduate of Washington & Jefferson College
7Ralph Cooper HutchisonNovember 13, 1931May 7, 1945
8James Herbert Case, Jr.May 4, 1946March 25, 1950
9Boyd Crumrine PattersonMarch 24, 1950June 30, 1970Graduate of Washington & Jefferson College
10Howard Jerome BurnettJuly 1, 1970June 30, 1998
11Brian C. MitchellJune 2, 1998July 1, 2004
–G. Andrew RembertMarch 5, 2004December 31, 2004
12Tori Haring-SmithJanuary 1, 2005August 1, 2017
13John C. KnappAugust 1, 2017present--