William H. Masterson papers

Born in Houston, William H. Masterson recieved a Bachelor's degree from Rice Institute where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.; he holds masters and doctorate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He joined the Rice faculty in 1948 and served as assistant to the president (1957-66), first Master of Hanszen College (1957-66), Dean of Humanities (1959-64), managing editor of the Journal of Southern History and professor of History. He left Rice in 1966 to become president, later Chancellor, of the University of Chattanooga, a position he held until 1972 when he returned to teaching. Named by the Board of Trustees in Feb. 1969 as Rice's fourth president, Masterson declined the appointment after a week due to a flawed selection process. He retired from University of Chattanooga in 1979 and moved to Austin, TX to teach part-time at St. Edward's University and join the staff of the LBJ Library. Masterson died in 1983.