George H. Denny

Who is George H. Denny?

George Hutcheson Denny was an American academic and former president at both Washington and Lee University and the University of Alabama. Born in Virginia, Denny earned his B.A. and M.A. from Hampden–Sydney College and his PhD from the University of Virginia in 1896. He then returned to Hampden–Sydney where he served as head football coach for one year and as a faculty member until his appointment to Washington and Lee in 1899. There he was ultimately appointed as school President in 1901 and he remained in that spot until his resignation in 1912 to become President at Alabama. Denny served as President of Alabama from 1912 through 1936 and again as interim President in 1941 and 1942 and oversaw a major expansion of both enrollment and the physical campus during his tenure. Denny later died at the age of 84 on April 2, 1955, at Lexington, Virginia.