Government Department

"The Government Department at William & Mary provides students with opportunities to investigate political phenomena ranging from the behavior of the individual citizen to relations among states in the international arena. The program seeks to develop awareness of the moral and ethical implications of political action as well as understanding of political institutions and processes from an empirical perspective." [1]

In 1888, after William and Mary was reorganized, the teaching of government was included in the Department of Moral Science, Political Economy, and Civil Government. President Lyon G. Tyler served as the head of the department. In 1907, according to Warner Moss, government (political science) received a separate listing but it was not until 1920, with the arrival of Professor Robert Kent Gooch, that Government would formally be taught at William and Mary.(Moss) The Marshall-Wythe School of Government and Citizenship was established in 1922, with Professor John Garland Pollard as dean and professor of government.(Moss) It is not until 1943 that the Government Department leaves the Marshall-Wythe School of Government and Citizenship and becomes its own department.

Margaret L. Hamilton was the Chair of the Department of Government from 1973-1978 and she also acted in that capacity in 1968-1969, making her one of the first women department chairs at William and Mary.(BOV resolution marking her retirement, April 25, 1986) Margaret L. Hamilton's appointments: Acting Assistant Professor of Government, 1953-1955; Assistant Assistant Professor of Government, 1955-1964; Associate Professor of Government, 1964-1969; Professor of Government, 1969-1986; Professor of Government, Emerita, 1986.

The Department of Government has been located in Morton Hall since 1973.

References

• Department of Government, http://web.wm.edu/government/?fetchid=6450, accessed 19 February 2009.
• Warner Moss, "Government at William and Mary," Alumni Gazette 9.2 (1941): 10-11, 25-27. University Archives Subject File, Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, William & Mary.

Material in the Special Collections Research Center

• Guide for conducting research related to the College of William & Mary
• Dept. of Government in the SCRC database.

Need help?

To search for further material, visit the Special Collections Research Center's Search Tool List for an overview of the Special Collections Database, W&M Digital Archive, Flat Hat-William & Mary News-Alumni Gazette index, card catalogs, and other tools available to help you find material of interest in William & Mary Libraries Special Collections Research Center.

Questions? Contact the Special Collections Research Center at spcoll@wm.edu or 757-221-3090, or visit the Special Collections Research Center in the Earl Gregg Swem Library at William & Mary.

A Note About The Contents Of This Wiki

The information available in this wiki is the best available from known documents and sources at the time it was written. Unfortunately, many of the early original records of William & Mary were destroyed by fires, military occupation, and the normal effects of time. Information in this wiki is not complete as new information continues to be uncovered in Swem Library's Special Collections Research Center and elsewhere. Researchers are strongly encouraged to use the Special Collections search tools for their research as the information contained in this wiki is by no means comprehensive.