Line of Presidents

Ray Silver Tomlin, A. B., A.M., B.D., 1923-1929  Rev. Ray S. Tomlin served as Acting President from 1921 to 1923 and was appointed President in 1923, a position he held until 1929. During his tenure, the Board of Missions of the M.E. Church South constructed and furnished Epworth Hall, a men’s dormitory, in 1925, and…

Albert Deems Betts, A. B., A.M., D.D., 1917-1921  Dr. Betts, a minister in the South Carolina Conference, was elected President in 1917. During his administration, Paine acquired ninety-one acres of property, and in 1918 the Southern Methodist General Conference authorized a $400,000 fundraising campaign for Paine College.

Daniel E. Atkins, 1916-1917  Mr. Atkins, a native of Tennessee, served as Business Manager of the college during the administration of Dr. Hammond. Following Dr. Hammond’s resignation on June 4, 1915, Atkins was appointed Acting President and was formally named President the following year. At just 28 years old, he became the youngest president in the…

John D. Hammond, A. B., D.D., 1911-1915  The Rev. Hammond served as a minister in the M.E. Church within the North Georgia Conference. Bennett Hall, named in honor of Miss Belle H. Bennett, was constructed during his tenure.

George Williams Walker, A. B., A.M., D.D., 1884-1911 Dr. Walker was not involved in the initial launch of the Paine project, but on July 17, 1883, he was elected as a teacher at the new school. Following the resignation of Dr. Callaway, Dr. Walker was elected president and served in that role until his death…

Morgan Callaway, A.B., A.M., D.D., 1882-1884 During the summer of 1882, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South decided to establish a school for Black students in Augusta, Georgia. A Board of Trustees was appointed, and the Board elected Dr. Morgan Callaway as the institution’s first president. Dr. Callaway, a Methodist minister, had previously served as president…