William Stith | |
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3rd President of the College of William & Mary |
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In office 1752–1755 |
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Preceded by | William Dawson |
Succeeded by | Thomas Dawson |
Personal details | |
Born | 1707 |
Died | September 19, 1755 |
Alma mater |
College of William & Mary Queen's College, Oxford |
William Stith (1707 – September 19, 1755) was an early American historian. He is the author of one of the earliest histories of Virginia, The History of the First Discovery and Settlement of Virginia: being an Essay towards a General History of this Colony, published in Williamsburg by William Parks in 1747. He was also the College of William & Mary's third president (1752–1755) and is the namesake of Stith Hall, a residence hall on the College's campus.
Stith was the son of Captain John Stith and Mary Randolph, a daughter of William Randolph I. Around 1744, he married his first cousin, Judith Randolph, the daughter of Thomas Randolph of Tuckahoe. They had three daughters: Judith, Elizabeth, and Mary. Stith was educated at The College of William & Mary and The Queen's College, Oxford.