George Frederick Holmes

George Frederick Holmes (1820 – 1897) was the first Chancellor of the University of Mississippi, from 1848 to 1849.

George Frederick Holmes was born in 1820 in Georgetown, British Guyana. In 1836, he attended the University of Durham in England, but left for Quebec in 1837 without taking a degree.

In 1838, he taught in Caroline County, Virginia, United States, then moved to Macon, Georgia to study and teach Law. In 1840, he moved to South Carolina and became a lawyer, first in Walterboro, then in Orangeburg.

In 1845, he became a Professor of Ancient Languages at Richmond College, now known as the University of Richmond. In 1847, he became Professor of History and Political Economy at the College of William and Mary. From 1848 to 1849, he served as the first President of the University of Mississippi, where he also taught. In 1857, he became a Professor at the University of Virginia.

He wrote articles for the Southern Quarterly Review, the Southern Literary Messenger, DeBow's Review, and the Methodist Quarterly Review. He corresponded with Auguste Comte and John C. Calhoun. He supported state rights, African-American slavery, and an end to tariffs.