The following is a list of the presidents of
Davidson College, which began operating in 1837 in
Davidson, North Carolina
Davidson is a suburban town located in northern Mecklenburg and Iredell counties, North Carolina, United States, on the banks of Lake Norman. It is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 10,944 at the 2010 census, and ...
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! !! Presidents of Davidson College !! Years as president
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, 1 , , Reverend
Robert Hall Morrison
Robert Hall Morrison was the first president of Davidson College. Morrison, originally from Cabarrus County, North Carolina, enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, eventually graduating second in the class, behind future Pr ...
, , 1836-1840
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, 2 , , Reverend
Samuel Williamson (academic)
Samuel Williamson was the second president of Davidson College
Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general Wil ...
, , 1841-1854
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, 3 , , Reverend
Drury Lacy, Jr.
Drury Lacy Jr. was the third president of Davidson College. A native of Virginia, he was a Presbyterian pastor at a church in New Bern, North Carolina and then in Raleigh, North Carolina before becoming president.
As president, Davidson received ...
, , 1855-1860
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, 4, , Reverend
John Lycan Kirkpatrick , , 1860-1866
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, 5, , Reverend
George Wilson McPhail , , 1866-1871
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, -, ,
John Rennie Blake
John Rennie Blake was the faculty chairman in charge of Davidson College from 1871 to 1877.
After the death of George Wilson McPhail, the position of president was vacated as the college opted to elect a faculty member, Blake, to oversee the co ...
, , 1871-1877
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, 6, , Reverend
Andrew Dousa Hepburn , , 1877-1885
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, 7 , , Reverend
Luther McKinnon , , 1885-1888
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, - , , Colonel William Joseph Martin , , 1887–1888, Acting President
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, 8 , , Reverend
John Bunyan Shearer , , 1888-1901
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, 9 , ,
Henry Louis Smith
Henry Louis Smith (1859–1951) was the ninth president of Davidson College and the first president to not be an ordained Presbyterian minister.
Originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, Smith graduated from Davidson in 1881 but returned as a ...
, , 1901-1912
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, 10 , ,
William Joseph Martin, Jr. , , 1912-1929
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, 11 , , Reverend
Walter Lee Lingle
Walter Lee Lingle was the 11th president of Davidson College. Lingle graduated from Davidson in 1892 and proceeded to receive his training at Union Theological Seminary. After spending a few years in the ministry, Lingle was elected to the board ...
, , 1929-1941
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, 12 , , Dr.
John Rood Cunningham
John Rood Cunningham (July 3, 1891 – June 15, 1980) was the 12th president of Davidson College. Born in Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight stat ...
, , 1941-1957
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, - , , Professor Clarence John Pietenpol , , 1957–1958, Acting President
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, 13 , , Dr.
David Grier Martin
David Grier Martin Sr. (November 11, 1910 – April 5, 1974) was the 13th president of Davidson College. A graduate of Davidson College, class of 1932, he served as college treasurer under President Cunningham. He was forty-eight years old when ...
, , 1958-1968
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, - , , Professor Frontis Withers Johnston , , 1968, Acting President
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, 14 , , Dr.
Samuel Reid Spencer, Jr. , , 1968-1983
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, - , , Professor Frontis Withers Johnston , , 1983-1984, Acting President
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, 15 , , Dr.
John Kuykendall
John Wells Kuykendall was the 15th president of Davidson College. Graduating from Davidson in 1959, Kuykendall went on to receive a bachelor in divinity from Union Theological Seminary and then more advanced degrees from Yale Divinity School an ...
, , 1984-1997
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, 16 , ,
Robert F. Vagt , , 1997-2007
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, 17 , ,
Thomas W. Ross
Thomas Warren Ross Sr. is an American public official who served as the president of the University of North Carolina system from 2011 to 2016. He succeeded Erskine Bowles on January 1, 2011. Formerly, he was president of Davidson College, a pri ...
, , 2007-2010
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, - , , Dr.
John Kuykendall
John Wells Kuykendall was the 15th president of Davidson College. Graduating from Davidson in 1959, Kuykendall went on to receive a bachelor in divinity from Union Theological Seminary and then more advanced degrees from Yale Divinity School an ...
, , 2010, Acting President
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, 18 , , Dr.
Carol Quillen , , 2011–2022
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, 19 , , Dr.
Douglas A. Hicks , , 2022-Present
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Davidson College