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List of presidents of Washington College

Presidents of Washington College From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Washington College is a private liberal arts college in Chestertown, Maryland, which is on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The college was founded in 1782 by William Smith, but is the successor institution to the earlier Kent County Free School, which was founded in 1732.[1] From the college's founding until 1922 the executive officer of the college was known as the principal of the college; subsequently, the executive officer is the president of the college.[2][a] While the title changed, the office is considered to be the same and officeholders who were referred to as principals by their contemporaries are now referred to as presidents.[b] Before the title change in 1922, the president of Washington College was the president of the Board of Visitors and Governors; since 1922, that position is the chair of the Board of Visitors and Governors.[2]

ResidenceHynson-Ringgold House
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  • Washington College Board of Visitors and Governors
InauguralholderWilliam Smith
Formation1782
Quick facts President of Washington College, Residence ...
President of Washington College
Red brick building with snow on the dark roof. In front of the building, there are trees and snow on the ground.
The Hynson-Ringgold House
Incumbent
Bryan Matthews
since 2026
ResidenceHynson-Ringgold House
Appointer
  • Washington College Board of Visitors and Governors
Inaugural holderWilliam Smith
Formation1782
WebsiteOffice of the President
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The president of Washington College is appointed by the Board of Visitors and Governors and serves at the pleasure of the board.[3] They are the chief executive officer and chief spokesperson of the college. As a part of their role, they are a voting member of the college's faculty and ex officio member of the Board of Visitors and Governors. There is no fixed compensation or pay scale for the position; each president negotiates a contract independently with the board.[3] As a part of the position's compensation, the President of Washington College is given access to the Hynson-Ringgold House, which has been the official residence of the Washington College president since 1944.[4]

At least 32 people have been the president of Washington College since 1782, four of whom have been interim presidents.[c] Of the 32 presidents, two, Joseph McLain and Bryan Matthews, were alumni of the college and only one, Sheila Bair, was a woman. The presidents of the college have been drawn from a variety of areas including religion, military service, governmental service, and academia. Six Washington College presidents were ordained in the Episcopal Church or the Methodist Protestant Church before their term. Several were also the rector of Emanuel Parish in Chestertown concurrent to their term as president. Washington College presidents have come from many parts of public life. Two were engaged in military service before their term and four were in public service. A singular president, Kurt M. Landgraf, was working in the private sector before his term. Most of the remaining presidents were academics before becoming president of the college. Three were presidents of other colleges, eight were academic administrators, six were faculty members at other colleges, and four were faculty members at Washington College before their terms.

Principals and presidents of Washington College

  • A "–" indicates that the individual served as Interim President.
More information #, Photo ...
# Photo Name Term begin Term end Previous experience Notes Ref(s)
1
White male with gray hair in academic robes with preaching tabs
 William Smith 1782 1789 Priest in the Episcopal Church
Provost of the Academy and College of Philadelphia		 Founder of Washington College and St. John's College. [5]
2
Profile of a male's head
 Colin Ferguson 1792 1805 Priest in the Episcopal Church
Professor of Languages, Mathematics, and Natural Philosophy at Washington College		 [6]
– – – 1805 1813 – The name of the principal between 1805 and 1813 is unknown. [7]
3 Hugh McGuire 1813 1815 Teacher at St. John's College[d] [8]
4 Joab G. Cooper 1816 1817 Priest in the Episcopal Church [9]
–[e] Gerard E. Stack 1817 1818 Temporary professor of Greek and Latin at Dickinson College [10][11][12]
5
White male in a dark suit holding a book
 Francis Waters 1818 1823 Minister in the Methodist Protestant Church Also the 9th Principal of Washington College [13]
6
White male in a dark cassock with preaching tabs
 Timothy Clowes 1823 1829 Priest in the Episcopal Church [14]
7
White male with dark hair and long sideburns in a dark suit sitting at a desk with an open book
 Peter Clark 1829 1832 "spent three years at Dartmouth College" [15][16]
8 Richard W. Ringgold 1832 1854 Member of the Maryland House of Delegates [17]
9
White male in a dark suit holding a book
 Francis Waters 1854 1860 Minister in the Methodist Protestant Church Also the 5th Principal of Washington College [18]
10 Andrew J. Sutton 1860 1867 Priest in the Episcopal Church
Professor of Ancient and Modern Languages at Washington College		 [19]
11 Robert C. Berkeley 1867 1873  Served in the Confederate Army as a Quartermaster Sergeant in Longstreet's Corps [20]
12
White male with dark hair in a dark suit
 William J. Rivers 1873 1887 Professor of Greek at the University of South Carolina [21][22]
13 Thomas N. Williams 1887 1889 Superintendent of Delaware Public Schools [23][24]
14
Mostly bald white male with a large goatee in a dark suit
 Charles W. Reid 1889 1903 Professor of Greek and German at St. John's College [25][26]
15
White male with white hair and a mustache in a dark suit
 James W. Cain 1903 1918 Professor of English and Political Economy at St. John's College [27]
–
Professor of Mathematics, Dean, and Acting President of Washington College.
 J.S. William Jones 1918 1919 Dean and Professor of Mathematics at Washington College [28]
16
Clarence P. Gould, President of Washington College from 1919 to 1923.
 Clarence P. Gould 1919 1923 Professor of History at College of Wooster The title of the chief executive of Washington College changed from Principal to President in 1922 [29]
17
White male with dark hair in a dark suit
 Paul E. Titsworth 1923 1933 Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Alfred University [30]
18
White male with dark hair and a thin beard in a dark suit
 Gilbert W. Mead 1933 1949 Dean of Birmingham–Southern College [31]
–[f]
=White male in dark suit
 Fredrick G. Livingood 1949 1950 Dean of Washington College and Professor of Education at Washington College [32]
19
White male in academic dress wearing a mortarboard
 Daniel Z. Gibson 1950 1970 Dean of Franklin & Marshall College [33]
20
Charles J. Merdinger, President of Washington College from 1970 to 1973.
 Charles J. Merdinger 1970 1973 Commanding Officer of the Western Division of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command [34]
21
White male with dark hair in a tan suit
 Joseph McLain 1973 1981 Professor of Chemistry at Washington College First alumnus of Washington College to become president. [35]
–
White male with dark hair and large dark glasses in a white shirt and dark tie
 Garry E. Clarke 1981 1982 Dean of Washington College and a professor of Music at Washington College [36]
22
White male in profile
 Douglass Cater 1982 1990 Vice Chairman of the London Observer
Special Assistant to Lyndon B. Johnson		 [37]
23 Charles H. Trout 1990 1995 Provost of Colgate University [38]
24 John S. Toll 1995 2004 President of Stony Brook University
Chancellor of the University System of Maryland		 [39]
25 Baird Tipson 2004 2010 President of Wittenberg University
President of Gettysburg College		 [40]
26
White male with dark hair in a gray suit with an American flag in the background
 Mitchell Reiss 2010 2014 United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland [40][41]
– Jay Griswold 2014 2015 Chair of the Washington College Board of Visitors and Governors [42]
27
White woman with blonde hair in a green jacket and orange shirt
 Sheila Bair 2015 2017 Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation [43]
28 Kurt M. Landgraf 2017 2020 CEO of DuPont
Member of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education		 [44][45]
– Wayne B. Powell 2020 2021 President of Lenoir-Rhyne University [46]
29 Michael J. Sosulski 2021 2025 Provost of Wofford College [47]
30 Bryan Matthews 2025 Former Director of Athletics and Interim Vice President at Washington College Current officeholder. Began as interim president in 2025. [48]
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Timeline

       Principal of Washington College •        Acting Principal of Washington College •        President of Washington College •        Acting President of Washington College

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