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.
The law school was closed from 1861 to 1921, when it was revived.
1779–1861
| 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
| 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
- 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.