James D. Moffat

Who was James D. Moffat?

James David Moffat was the 3rd president of Washington & Jefferson College.

Moffat, a native of New Lisbon, Ohio, was born on March 15, 1846. He spent his youth in St. Clairsville, Ohio and Bellaire, Ohio before working as a teacher and a bookkeeper. He entered Jefferson College in 1865 and graduated from Washington & Jefferson College in 1869. He studied at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1869-1871. Following ordination in 1873, he served as pastor in Wheeling, West Virginia. He received three Doctor of Laws degrees, one from the Western University of Pennsylvania in 1897, another from University of Pennsylvania in 1901, and another from the Missouri Valley College in 1906. Moffat received two honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees, one from Hanover College in 1882 and one from the College of New Jersey in 1883.

He was elected third president of Washington & Jefferson College on November 16, 1881. During his tenure, the college experienced a period of growth, including a threefold increase in number of professors and new campus buildings.

In 1884, the college purchased the land known as the "old fair ground," now used for Cameron Stadium, for the sum of $7,025. The student body agreed to contribute one dollar each term to finance the purchase. The college built a new gymnasium in 1893; Hays Hall was completed in 1903; Thompson Memorial Library opened in 1905; and Thistle Physics Building was completed in 1912. In 1893, the campus installed an electric lighting system. In 1892, the Board of Trustees granted a request from senior class that they be graduated in cap and gown, establishing that tradition at W&J for all future commencements.