List of deans of the William & Mary Law School
Following is a list of deans of the William & Mary Law School, formally the Marshall-Wythe School of Law, which is the oldest extant law school in the United States, having been founded in 1779 at the urging of alumnus Thomas Jefferson.[1][2]
The law school was closed from 1861 to 1921, when it was revived.
1779–1861[edit]
| Name | Took office | Left office |
|---|---|---|
| George Wythe | 1779 | 1789 |
| St. George Tucker | 1790 | 1804 |
| William Nelson | 1804 | 1813 |
| Robert Nelson | 1813 | 1818 |
| James Semple | 1819 | 1834 |
| Nathaniel Beverley Tucker | 1834 | 1851 |
| George Parker Scarburgh | 1852 | 1855 |
| Lucian Minor | 1855 | 1858 |
| Charles Morris | 1859 | 1861 |
1923–Present[edit]
| Name | Took office | Left office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Garland Pollard | 1923 | 1932 | |
| Theodore Sullivan Cox | 1932 | 1942 | |
| Dudley W. Woodbridge | 1942 | 1946 | Acting Dean |
| Theodore Sullivan Cox | 1946 | 1947 | |
| Arthur Warren Phelps | 1947 | 1948 | |
| Dudley W. Woodbridge | 1948 | 1962 | Acting Dean, 1948–1950 |
| Joseph Curtis | 1962 | 1969 | Acting Dean, 1962–1963 |
| James P. Whyte Jr. | 1969 | 1975 | Acting Dean, 1969–1970 |
| Emeric Fischer | 1975 | 1976 | Acting Dean |
| William Spong Jr. | 1976 | 1985 | |
| Timothy J. Sullivan | 1985 | 1992 | |
| Richard A. Williamson | 1992 | 1993 | Acting Dean |
| Paul Marcus | 1993 | 1994 | Acting Dean |
| Thomas G. Krattenmaker | 1994 | 1997 | |
| Paul Marcus | 1997 | 1998 | Acting Dean |
| W. Taylor Reveley III | 1998 | 2008 | |
| Lynda L. Butler | 2008 | 2009 | Interim Dean |
| Davison M. Douglas | 2009 | 2020 | |
| A. Benjamin Spencer | 2020 | present |
References[edit]
- ^ BLONDEL-LIBARDI, CATHERINE R. (2007). "Rediscovering the Litchfield Law School Notebooks". Connecticut History Review. 46 (1): 70–82. ISSN 0884-7177.
- ^ Lee, Edward T. (1938–1939). "The Litchfield Law School – First Law School in America". Women Lawyers' Journal. 25: 8.