Our History

Everything has a history, even departents of history! Here is some information about us, compiled by Dr. Al Mierzejewski.

History of Department Chairs and Faculty

North Texas State Normal School/NTSU/UNT History Department Leaders

Black & white photo of Dr. Ayer sitting in his office holding a pipe in his left hand

Black & white photograph of history department faculty and students looking at a map, 1962

Black & white photograph of Dr. Randolph "Mike" Campbell in the 1960s

Black & whIte photograph of students reading books and looking at the department library

Summary:
Lewis W. Newton 1926, 1928-1932, 1933-1951
Frank Hall Gaffard 1951-1965
Jack Scroggs 1966-1976
William Kamman 1977-1989, 1993-1994
Robert S. LaForte 1990-1993
Richard Golden 1994-2001
Harold M. Tanner 2001-2005, 2016-2019
Adrian Lewis 2005-2007
Richard McCaslin 2008-2016
Jennifer Jensen Wallach 2019-2024
Rachel Louise Moran 2025
Michael D. Wise 2025-Present

Black and white model of Wooten hall during the planning process.

Black & white photograph of Wooten Hall and the faculty parking lot. Old cars from the 1960s and 70s can be seen.

Black & white photograph of an excavator and facilities worker digging in front of Wooten.

NT Daily front page: Dr. Gus Seligmann chosen as commencement speaker, dated August 1995

Details by Year

1890 - 1899

History classes listed, but no faculty identified.

1900

Faculty
W.J. Sowder

1901 - 1905

Faculty
Mrs. Hayden Lewis, Emma Mitchell

1906 - 1907

Faculty
Mrs. Haydn Abercrombie Lewis, Emma Mitchell

1908 - 1909

Faculty
Mrs. Haydn Abercrombie Lewis history and geography, Emma Gay Mitchell

1910 - 1912

Faculty
E.D. Criddle, English and history, Mrs. Haydn Abercrombie Lewis history and geography, Emma Gay Mitchell

1913 - 1916

Faculty
E.D. Criddle, Miss Emma G. Mitchell, Miss Cora Belle Wilson

1917

Faculty
E.D. Criddle, S.S. McKay, Miss Emma G. Mitchell, Miss Cora Belle Wilson

1918

Faculty
Harland H. Allen, E.D. Criddle, S.S. McKay, Miss Emma G. Mitchell, Miss Cora Belle Wilson

1919

Faculty
E.D. Criddle, S.S. McKay, Miss Anna Powell, Miss Cora Belle Wilson

1920

Faculty
E.D. Criddle, E.H. Farrington, S.S. McKay, L.W. Newton

1921

Faculty
Ross Compton, E.D. Criddle (associate dean), Miss Lillian Elvira Johnson, Donald McDonald, L.W. Newton, A.V. Peterson, Miss Anna Powell, Miss Cora Belle Wilson

1922

Faculty
E.D. Criddle (associate dean), Julius Dorsey, Donald McDonald, S.S. McKay, B.H. Miller, L.W. Newton, Miss Anna Irion Powell, Miss Cora Belle Wilson

1923

Faculty
C.A. Bridges, Ross Compton, E.D. Criddle (dean of men), Ernest David, L.W. Newton, Miss Anna Powell, Miss Cora Belle Wilson

1924

Faculty
Margaret Butler, C.A. Bridges, L.W. Newton, Anna Powell, Cora Belle Wilson

1925

Faculty
Margaret Butler, E.D. Criddle, E.H. Farrington, L.W. Newton, Anna Powell, Cora Belle Wilson

1926

Lead
Lewis W. Newton, director

Faculty
Clarence A. Bridges, Margaret Butler, E.H. Farrington, Joseph L. Kingsbury, J. Carl Matthews, Anna Powell, Cora Belle Wilson

1927

Lead
Lewis W. Newton, director

Faculty
Clarence Allan Bridges, Lewis W. Newton, Joseph Lyman Kingsbury, Anna Irion Powell, Cora Belle Wilson

1928 - 1929

Lead
Lewis W. Newton, director

Faculty
C.A. Bridges, E.H. Farrington, J. L. Kingsbury, Annabelle Pritchard, Cora Belle Wilson

1930 - 1931

Lead
Lewis W. Newton, director

Faculty
C.A. Bridges, E.H. Farrington, J. L. Kingsbury, Anna I. Powell, Cora Belle Wilson

1932

Lead
Lewis W. Newton, director

Faculty
C.A. Bridges, E.H. Farrington, J. L. Kingsbury, Lewis Wilham Newton, Anna I. Powell, Cora Belle Wilson

1933

Lead
Lewis W. Newton, director

Faculty
C.A. Bridges, J. L. Kingsbury, Anna Irion Powell, Cora Wilson

1934 - 1935

Lead
Lewis W. Newton, director

Faculty
C.A. Bridges, E.H. Farrington, J. L. Kingsbury, Anna Irion Powell, Cora Wilson

1936

Lead
Lewis W. Newton, director

Faculty
C.A. Bridges, J. L. Kingsbury, Cora Wilson

1937

Lead
Lewis W. Newton, director

Faculty
C.A. Bridges, J. L. Kingsbury, Anna Irion Powell, Cora Belle Wilson

1938

Lead
Lewis W. Newton, director

Faculty
C.A. Bridges, J. L. Kingsbury, Cora Belle Wilson

1939 - 1940

Lead
Lewis W. Newton, director

Faculty
C.A. Bridges, J. L. Kingsbury, Anna Powell, Cora Wilson

1941

Lead
Lewis W. Newton, director

Faculty
C.A. Bridges, E.H. Farrington, J.L. Kingsbury, Anna Powell, Cora Wilson

1942 - 1943

Lead
Lewis W. Newton, director

Faculty
C.A. Bridges, J. L. Kingsbury, Anna Powell, Cora Wilson

1944

N/A

1945

Lead
Lewis W. Newton, director

Faculty
J. L. Kingsbury, Anna Powell, Cora Belle Wilson

1946 - 1951

Lead
Lewis W. Newton, director

Faculty
C.A. Bridges, Cora Belle Wilson

1952 - 1954

Lead
Frank Hall Gaffard, director,
Dean of College of Arts & Sciences

Faculty
Bridges, Hagan, Powell, Scroggs

1955 - 1956

Lead
Frank Hall Gaffard, director,
Dean of College of Arts & Sciences

Faculty
Bridges, Eubank, Hagan, Powell, Scroggs

1957

Lead
Frank Hall Gaffard, director,
Dean of College of Arts & Sciences

Faculty
Bridges, Eubank, Hagan, Nichols, Powell, Scroggs

1958

Lead
Frank Hall Gaffard, director,
Dean of College of Arts & Sciences

Faculty
Bridges, Eubank, Hagan, Healy, Hawley, Powell, Nichols, Scroggs

1959

Lead
Frank Hall Gaffard, director,
Dean of College of Arts & Sciences

Faculty
Ayer, Eubank, Hawley, Kottman, Linden, Nichols, Parks, Scroggs, Standard.

1960

Lead
Frank Hall Gaffard, director,
Dean of College of Arts & Sciences

Faculty
Ayer, Brewer, Eubank, Hawley, Kottman, Odom, Powell (w), Standard

1961

Lead
Frank Hall Gaffard, director,
Dean of College of Arts & Sciences

Faculty
Ayer, Brewer, Eubank, Hagan, Kottman, Nicholls, Jr., Powell (w), Standard

1962 - 1963

Lead
Frank Hall Gaffard, director,
Dean of College of Arts & Sciences

Faculty
Ayer, Brewer, Eubank, Hagan, Hawley, Kottman

1964

Lead
Frank Hall Gaffard, director,
Dean of College of Arts & Sciences

Faculty
Eubank, Odom, Worcester

1965

Lead
Frank Hall Gaffard, director,
Dean of College of Arts & Sciences

Faculty
Thomas Brewer, William Hagan, Richard A. Kottman, E. Odom, Jack Scroggs, Harry F. Snapp

1966

Lead
Jack Scroggs, director

Faculty
Thomas Brewer, William Hagan, Richard A. Kottman, E. Odom, Jack Scroggs, Harry F. Snapp

1967

Lead
Jack Scroggs, director

Faculty
D.E. Chipman, E.W. Hawley, E.O. Odom, William P. Vaughn.

1968

Lead
Jack Scroggs, director

Faculty
Hugh M. Ayer, Larry Bowman, Donald Chipman, William Kamman, F.B. Lowry

1969

Lead
Jack Scroggs, director

Faculty
Hugh M. Ayer, Larry Bowman, Donald Chipman, William Kamman, F.B. Lowry

Ph.D. Program Started

1970

Lead
Jack Scroggs, chairman

Faculty
Tomazcina Dixon, Charles Keener part-time Black instructors

1971

Lead
Jack Scroggs, chairman

Faculty
Harry Snapp

1972 - 1975

Unknown

1976

Lead
Jack Scroggs, chairman

Faculty
27+1 (tenure track + adjuncts/lecturers)

1977 - 1979

Lead
William Kamman, chair

Faculty
26+1

1980 - 1985

Lead
William Kamman, chair

Faculty
25+1

1986

Lead
William Kamman, chair

Faculty
26+1
(now including Kamman in the count)

1987 1989

Lead
William Kamman, chair

Faculty
27

1990

Lead
Robert S. LaForte, chair

Faculty
29+1

1991

Lead
Robert S. LaForte, chair

Faculty
27+1

1992

Lead
Robert S. LaForte, chair

Faculty
28+2

1993

Lead
Robert S. LaForte, chair

Faculty
30+1

1994

Lead
William Kamman, interim chair

Faculty
28+1

1995

Lead
Richard M. Golden, chair

Faculty
30

1996

Lead
Richard M. Golden, chair

Faculty
32

1997

Lead
Richard M. Golden, chair

Faculty
31+1

1998

Lead
Richard M. Golden, chair

Faculty
30+1

1999

Lead
Richard M. Golden, chair

Faculty
28+1

2000 - 2001

Lead
Richard M. Golden, chair

Faculty
26+1

2002

Lead
Harold M. Tanner, chair

Faculty
25

2003

Lead
Harold M. Tanner, chair

Faculty
24

2004

Lead
Harold M. Tanner, chair

Faculty
23

2005

Lead
Adrian Lewis, chair

Faculty
26

2006

Lead
Adrian Lewis, chair

Faculty
27

2007

Lead
Adrian Lewis, chair

Faculty
26

2008

Lead
Richard McCaslin, chair

Faculty
28+4

2009

Lead
Richard McCaslin, chair

Faculty
24+4

2010

Lead
Richard McCaslin, chair

Faculty
34

2011 - 2016

Lead
Richard McCaslin, chair

2017 - 2018

Lead
Harold M. Tanner, chair

2019 - 2024

Lead
Jennifer Jensen Wallach, chair

2025

Lead
Rachel Louise Moran, chair

2025 - Present

Lead
Michael D. Wise, chair

Fall 2026, became the new Director of the School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry