Past Presidents
Kentucky State University presidential lineage
Kentucky State University, which was founded in 1886, has had 18 permanent presidents since its humble beginnings.
Four presidents have served multiple terms, with each term counting as a separate presidency. John Henry Jackson (1886-1898, 1907-1910), James Shelton Hathaway (1900-1907, 1910-1912), Green Pinckney Russell (1912-1923, 1924-1929) and Raymond M. Burse (1982-1989, 2014-2016) all served as multiple-term presidents. Previous historians have not always advanced the number of presidents in the institution’s history because of multiple-term presidencies. For example, instead of counting John Henry Jackson as the first and fourth president, Jackson would only be counted as the first president. Considering Jackson as the first and fourth president is considered a best practice and is done so in the University’s official history.
Multiple interim presidents have guided Kentucky State throughout its history, but are not counted in the institution’s list of permanent presidents. Kentucky State honors those who have moved the University onward, upward and forward during its historical service to the Commonwealth and the nation.
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John Henry Jackson 1886 – 1898 |
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James Edward Givens 1898 – 1900 |
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James Shelton Hathaway 1900 – 1907 |
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John Henry Jackson 1907 – 1910 |
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James Shelton Hathaway 1910 – 1912 |
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Green Pinckney Russell 1912 – 1923 |
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Francis Marion Wood 1923 – 1924 |
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Green Pinckney Russell 1924 – 1929 |
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Rufus B. Atwood 1929 – 1962 |
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Carl McClellan Hill 1962 – 1975 |
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William A. Butts 1975 – 1982 |
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Raymond M. Burse 1982 – 1989 |
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John T. Wolfe, Jr. 1990 – 1991 |
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Mary L. Smith 1991 – 1998 |
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George W. Reid 1998 – 2002 |
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Mary Evans Sias 2004 – 2014 |
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Raymond M. Burse 2014 – 2016 |
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M. Christopher Brown II 2017 - 2021 |