Kenneth G. Matheson

Class of 1886

Hometown: Cheraw, SC

Distinguished Alumnus Photo

  • 3rd President of Georgia Tech, 1906-1921.  Matheson is credited with leading the school's transition from a trade school into a technological university and one of the South's pre-eminent academic institutions. 
  • 3rd President of Drexel Institute of Technology (now Drexel University), 1922-1931, leaving a remarkable legacy of unparalled success at the college. 
  • Commandant of Cadets at Georgia Military College (1886-1888), the University of Tennessee (1888-1890), and the Missouri Military Academy (1890-1896).
  • Matheon received a Master's degree in English from Stanford University in 1897.  He began teaching English at Georgia Tech in 1898, and became head of the English department before being elected chair of the faculty and interim President in 1905.  He was appointed President of Georgia Tech in 1906.