UW–Madison presidents and chancellors

(See also: Bios and photos from UW Archives)

DatesName
1849–1858 John Hiram Lathrop
1859–1860 Henry Barnard
1860–1867 John W. Sterling
1867–1870 Paul A. Chadbourne
1871–1874 John W. Twombly
1874–1887 John A. Bascom
1887–1892 Thomas C. Chamberlin
1892–1901 Charles K. Adams
1901–1903 Edward A. Birge (acting)
1903–1918 Charles R. Van Hise
1918–1925 Edward A. Birge
1925–1937 Glenn Frank
1937 George C. Sellery (acting)
1937–1945 Clarence A. Dykstra
1945–1958 Edwin Broun Fred
1958–1962 Conrad A. Elvehjem
1962–1970 Fred Harvey Harrington1
1964–1967 Robben Fleming2
1967–1968 William Sewell
1968 Bryant Kearl (acting)
1968–1977 Edwin Young
1970 Robert Clodius (acting)
1970–1971 John Weaver
1977 Glenn S. Pound (acting)
1977–1986 Irving Shain
1987 Bernard Cohen (acting)
1988–1993 Donna E. Shalala
1993–2000 David Ward
2001–2008 John D. Wiley
2008–2011 Carolyn “Biddy” Martin
2011–present David Ward (acting)
  1. 1 From 1965 to 1971, UW–Madison was led by both a president and chancellor. Harrington was succeeded as president by Robert Clodius (acting) and John Weaver, who became president of the new University of Wisconsin System in 1971 (return to the list).
  2. 2 Appointed as provost in 1964; title changed to chancellor in 1965 (return to the list).