List of presidents of Dartmouth College

President of Dartmouth College
The Dartmouth College logo, a green letter D with a pine in it's center.
Incumbent
Sian Beilock
since June 12, 2023
AppointerBoard of Trustees
Term lengthNo term limit
Inaugural holderEleazar Wheelock
FormationDecember 13, 1769 (1769-12-13)
Websitepresident.dartmouth.edu

Dartmouth College is a private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, a Yale graduate and Congregational minister, through a royal charter issued by John Wentworth in the name of King George III.[1][2] The charter created a college for the education of Native Americans and others in the "liberal arts and sciences", connecting it to Wheelock's earlier Charity School.[1] Named for William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth, the institution is the ninth oldest college in the United States and the last founded under colonial rule.[1][3]

The president of Dartmouth College is the institution’s chief executive officer and chief adviser to the Board of Trustees. Under the Board’s bylaws, the president has "general charge and control of the College and its affairs," including the organization of the faculties; responsibility for the conduct of educational and administrative operations and internal discipline; authority to execute instruments on the College’s behalf; and the power to appoint and remove officers and administrators consistent with Board policies. The president serves as a trustee ex officio and is a voting member of the Board’s Executive Committee, and an ex officio non-voting member of its other standing committees, with recusals required when the Board considers presidential compensation or performance. In the event of the president’s death, absence, or disability, the Board may designate an interim president and define the scope of interim authority.[4]

The College’s 1769 charter vests governance in the "Trustees of Dartmouth College," authorizing them to elect officers, grant degrees, and "displace and remove" officers as necessary; in modern practice, degrees approved by the Trustees are conferred by the president at commencement.[4][5] Dartmouth’s status as a private corporation governed by its Board, and the inviolability of its charter, were affirmed by the United States Supreme Court in Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819).[6][7]

Since 1769, nineteen individuals have held the office, a line known as the "Wheelock Succession."[8] The current president, Sian Beilock, was elected by the Board on July 21, 2022, took office on June 12, and was inaugurated on September 22, 2023, becoming the first woman to lead Dartmouth.[9][10][11]

Presidents

Presidents
No. Image Name Years Notes Ref.
1 Potrait of Eleazar Wheelock in 18th-century attire sitting in a room with books in the background. Eleazar Wheelock 1769–1779 President and founder of Dartmouth College. Not a Dartmouth alumnus. [12][13]
2 Portrait of John Wheelock in 18th-century attire, wearing a white wig and a brown coat over a buttoned waistcoat. John Wheelock 1779–1815 Dartmouth alumnus (1771) [12][14]
3 Portrait of Francis Brown in 19th-century attire, seated with one arm resting on a chair. Francis Brown 1815–1820 Dartmouth alumnus (1805) [12][15]
4 Black and white portrait of Daniel Dana, with glasses and combed-back hair, wearing a high-collared coat. Daniel Dana 1820–1821 Dartmouth alumnus (1788) [12][16]
5 Daguerreotype of Bennet Tyler seated in an ornate chair beside a table with an open book, with a column in the background. Bennet Tyler 1822–1828 Not a Dartmouth alumnus [12][17]
6 Portrait of Nathan Lord with glasses, wearing a dark coat and white cravat. Nathan Lord 1828–1863 Not a Dartmouth alumnus [12][18]
7 Black and white portrait of Asa Dodge Smith with glasses, wearing a suit and bow tie. Asa Dodge Smith 1863–1877 Dartmouth alumnus (1830) [12][19]
8 Black and white photograph of Samuel Colcord Bartlett with a beard and a bald head, wearing a suit and high-collared shirt. Samuel Colcord Bartlett 1877–1892 Dartmouth alumnus (1836) [12][20]
9 Black and white photograph of William Jewett Tucker with a mustache, wearing a suit and high-collared shirt. William Jewett Tucker 1893–1909 Dartmouth alumnus (1861) [12][21]
10 Black and white photograph of Ernest Fox Nichols from a side view, with short hair, wearing a suit and tie. Ernest Fox Nichols 1909–1916 Professor of Physics (1898–1903). Not a Dartmouth alumnus. [12][22]
11 Black and white photograph of Ernest Martin Hopkins with short hair, wearing a suit, tie, and collared shirt. Ernest Martin Hopkins 1916–1945 Dartmouth alumnus (1901) [12][23]
12 Black and white photograph of John Dickey in a suit seated at a desk, writing on papers, with office furniture and a window in the background. John Sloan Dickey 1945–1970 Dartmouth alumnus (1929) [12][24]
13 John George Kemeny 1970–1981 Professor of Mathematics. Not a Dartmouth alumnus. [12][25]
14 David T. McLaughlin 1981–1987 Member of the Board of Trustees. Dartmouth alumnus (1954; Tuck '1955). [12][26]
15 James O. Freedman 1987–1998 Not a Dartmouth alumnus [12][27]
16 James Wright 1998–2009 Dean of the Faculty; Professor of History. Not a Dartmouth alumnus. [12][28]
17 Photograph of Jim Yong Kim in a suit and patterned green tie, wearing glasses and smiling. Jim Yong Kim 2009–2012 Department of Anthropology faculty. Not a Dartmouth alumnus. [12][29]
18 Photograph of Phillip J. Hanlon in a suit and red tie, wearing glasses and speaking at a microphone. Philip J. Hanlon 2013–2023 Lewis Professor of Mathematics, Dartmouth alumnus (1977) [12][30][31]
19 Photograph of Sian Beilock wearing a green jacket and smiling. Sian Beilock 2023–present Not a Dartmouth alumna [12][32][33]

References

  1. ^ a b c Childs, Francis Lane (December 1957). "A Brief History of Dartmouth College" (PDF). Dartmouth College. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 7, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  2. ^ Ring, Wilson (November 2, 2003). "Dartmouth Keeps Its Vow to a Vermont Town". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  3. ^ "XXIII. Education. § 13. Colonial Colleges.". The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. June 14, 2022. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Bylaws of Dartmouth College". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on March 28, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  5. ^ "Read the Dartmouth College Charter". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on August 12, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  6. ^ "Dartmouth College v. Woodward". Oyez. Archived from the original on July 15, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  7. ^ Khan, Maysoon (December 12, 2019). "Dartmouth College celebrates 250th anniversary". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  8. ^ "Presidential History: Past Presidents". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on July 18, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  9. ^ "Board of Trustees Elects Sian Leah Beilock Dartmouth's 19th President". Dartmouth News. July 21, 2022. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  10. ^ Silverstein, Hannah (September 22, 2023). "Sian Leah Beilock Inaugurated as Dartmouth's 19th President". Dartmouth News. Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  11. ^ Wolfe, Rob (July 18, 2025). "How Dartmouth Became the Ivy League's Switzerland". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Archived from the original on August 8, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Presidents of Dartmouth College". Rauner Special Collections Library. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2007.
  13. ^ "Eleazar Wheelock | Office of the President". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on June 19, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  14. ^ "John Wheelock | Office of the President". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on April 18, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  15. ^ "Francis Brown | Office of the President". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on April 18, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  16. ^ "Daniel Dana | Office of the President". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on May 14, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  17. ^ "Bennet Tyler | Office of the President". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on July 11, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  18. ^ "Nathan Lord | Office of the President". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on July 11, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  19. ^ "Asa Dodge Smith | Office of the President". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on July 11, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  20. ^ "Samuel Colcord Bartlett | Office of the President". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on April 18, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  21. ^ "William Jewett Tucker | Office of the President". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on May 14, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  22. ^ "Ernest Fox Nichols | Office of the President". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on July 11, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  23. ^ "Ernest Martin Hopkins | Office of the President". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on April 18, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  24. ^ "John Sloan Dickey | Office of the President". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on June 19, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  25. ^ "John G. Kemeny | Office of the President". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on May 14, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  26. ^ "David T. McLaughlin | Office of the President". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  27. ^ "James O. Freedman | Office of the President". Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on May 14, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  28. ^ Lowe, Allie (February 4, 2008). "President Wright to step down in June of 2009". The Dartmouth. Archived from the original on February 8, 2008. Retrieved February 5, 2008.
  29. ^ "Dr. Jim Yong Kim appointed 17th President of Dartmouth College" (Press release). Dartmouth College. March 2, 2009. Archived from the original on April 6, 2009. Retrieved March 2, 2009.
  30. ^ "Philip J. Hanlon '77, PhD, Is Named 18th President of Dartmouth" (Press release). Dartmouth College. November 24, 2012. Archived from the original on December 2, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  31. ^ "President Hanlon '77 Announces Plans to Step Down in 2023". Dartmouth News. January 25, 2022. Archived from the original on June 14, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
  32. ^ Sian Leah Beilock to become College President on June 12, The Dartmouth, June 1, 2023, archived from the original on June 20, 2023, retrieved June 20, 2023
  33. ^ "A New Dartmouth President Gets to Work". Dartmouth News. June 11, 2023. Archived from the original on June 15, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
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