The college was established in 1871 by a bequest of Sophia Smith.
Presidents
- Laurenus Clark Seelye (1875-1910)
- Marion LeRoy Burton (1910-1917)
- William Allan Neilson (1917-1939)
- Elizabeth Cutter Morrow (acting president
1939-1940)
- Herbert Davis (1940-1949)
- Benjamin
Fletcher Wright (1949-1959)
- Thomas Corwin Mendenhall (1959-1975)
- Jill Ker Conway, first woman president (1975-1985)
- Mary Maples Dunn
(1985-1995)
- Ruth J. Simmons, first African-American president
(1995-2001)
- John M. Connolly
(acting president 2001-2002)
- Carol T. Christ (2002-present)
Notable deans, administrators, and faculty
- Laura Woolsey Lord Scales, Dean of Students
(1922-1944)