John Lloyd Newcomb

Born December 18, 1881, in Sassafras, Gloucester County, Virginia,[2] Newcomb received his B.A. from the College of William and Mary in 1900 and subsequently took a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia in 1903.[3] While a student and after receiving his civil engineering degree he worked as a computer in the engineering office of the Rapid Transit Subway Construction Company in New York and as an engineer for the Norfolk and Southern Railway.[4] Newcomb was appointed an adjunct professor of civil engineering in 1905 by the Board of Visitors of UVA.[5] He became Edwin Alderman's assistant in 1926[6] and succeeded Alderman after the first UVA president died of complications from a stroke. He was confirmed in the position after nearly two years as acting president, despite his lack of national renown.[7]

While president of the university, Newcomb received honorary degrees from Washington and Lee University (doctor of science, 1933)[8] and from his alma mater, the College of William and Mary (LL.D. 1935).[9]

He died on February 22, 1954.[4] After his death, Newcomb was revealed to be a member of the Seven Society, the UVA secret society known for its gifts to and support of the university community. In 1958 the Seven Society donated $17,777.77 to establish a loan fund for faculty and students in Newcomb's honor.[10]

An engineering professorship, the John Lloyd Newcomb Professor of Material Science and Engineering Physics, is endowed in Newcomb's memory,[11] and the student union building at Virginia, Newcomb Hall, is named after him.[12]

• 1905-1925 – Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Virginia)
• 1925-1931 – Dean of Engineering, University of Virginia
• 1926-1931 – Assistant to the President, University of Virginia
• 1931-1933 – Acting President, University of Virginia
• 1933-1947 – President of the University of Virginia