Davidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 162,878. Its county seat is Lexington, and its largest city is Thomasville.
Davidson is a town on Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 10,944 at the 2010 census, and in 2016 the estimated population was 12,452. The town was founded in 1837 with the establishment of the Presbyterian Davidson College, named for Brigadier General William Lee Davidson, a local Revolutionary War hero. The land for Davidson College came from Davidson's estate, a large portion of which was donated by his son.
Linda Lingle is an American politician, who was the sixth governor of Hawaii from 2002 until 2010. She was the first Republican governor of Hawaii since 1962. Lingle was also the first female governor of Hawaii and its first Jewish governor. Prior to serving as governor, Lingle served as Maui County mayor, council member, and chair of the Hawaii Republican Party.
Central State University (CSU) is a public, historically black university (HBCU) located in Wilberforce, Ohio, United States. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
Elizabeth Kiss is an American philosopher and academic administrator, specialising in moral and political philosophy. Since 2018, she has been the Warden of Rhodes House, Oxford University, and CEO of the Rhodes Trust. She is responsible for administering the Rhodes Scholarship, providing pastoral support to existing Rhodes Scholars and coordinating the Rhodes Trust. She is the first woman to hold this role. Previously she served as president of Agnes Scott College.
The Davidson Wildcats football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Davidson College located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Pioneer Football League. Davidson's first football team was fielded in 1897. The team plays its home games at the 6,000 seat Richardson Stadium in Davidson, North Carolina. The Wildcats are coached by Scott Abell.
Michael Shumway Lee is an American politician, author, and attorney who is the senior United States Senator from Utah. A conservative, libertarian-leaning Republican, Lee has served in the Senate since January 3, 2011.
George Millard "Georgie" King was a college football player. He was president of King Brothers Shoe Co. in Bristol, Tennessee until his death in 1963. He was a member of the Davidson College Board of Trustees and was once President of the Davidson College Alumni Association in 1954-55.
Samuel Williamson was the second president of Davidson College. After graduating from the University of South Carolina, Williamson entered the ministry. He arrived at Davidson in 1839 as a professor and then was appointed as president in 1841, becoming the longest serving president of the college during the Nineteenth Century. While president, Williamson steered the college through financial uncertainty while also building the Eumenean and Philanthropic Halls.
Reverend George Wilson McPhail D.D. was a Presbyterian minister, and educator who served as the sixth president of Lafayette College, a director at Princeton Theological Seminary, and as president of Davidson College.
Luther McKinnon was the seventh president of Davidson College and the first alumnus to become president. After graduating as salutatorian from Davidson in 1861, McKinnon joined the Confederate States Army as a chaplain. McKinnon became ill after becoming president, struck with what was described as "rheumatism," and resigned as president. McKinnon lived as an invalid for the rest of life, settling in Clinton, North Carolina.
John Bunyan Shearer was the eighth president of Davidson College.
Henry Louis Smith was the ninth president of Davidson College and the first president to not be an ordained Presbyterian minister.
William Joseph Martin Jr. was the tenth president of Davidson College, being installed as president in 1912. Martin, the son of a Confederate veteran who was also a professor at Davidson, graduated from Davidson in 1888. After receiving advanced degrees from the University of Virginia and further instruction at Johns Hopkins University, Martin eventually found his way back to Davidson as a chemistry professor.
John Rood Cunningham was the 12th president of Davidson College. Born in Missouri, Cunningham came to Davidson after spending several years in the ministry, including serving as president of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Robert 'Bobby' Vagt was the 16th president of Davidson College. Vagt, originally from Connecticut, graduated from Davidson in 1969. Vagt worked in the ministry and in healthcare until he became the executive director of the Municipal Assistance Corporation for New York City, New York, aiding in efforts to save the city from bankruptcy. Later, Vagt moved to Houston, Texas to work in the energy sector.
John Wells Kuykendall was the 15th president of Davidson College. Graduating from Davidson in 1959, Kuykendall went on to receive a bachelor in divinity from Union Theological Seminary and then more advanced degrees from Yale Divinity School and Princeton University. He eventually became a professor of religion and campus pastor at Auburn University.
Samuel Reid Spencer Jr. was the 14th president of Davidson College. Originally from South Carolina, Spencer graduated from Davidson in 1940, then serving in the US Army during World War II. After the war, he matriculated at Harvard University to receive a Ph.D. Afterward, Spencer returned to his alma mater to serve as an assistant to then-President John Rood Cunningham, while also becoming a professor of history. Spencer left Davidson to become president of Mary Baldwin College, returning as president in 1968.
Carol Quillen is the 18th and current president of Davidson College. She is the first female president ever and the first non-alum president since John Rood Cunningham.
