Nathan Washington Dougherty was born on March 23, 1886, in Hales Mill, Virginia. He moved to Knox County, Tennessee, in 1898. Dougherty was married to Agnes Anna Monteith in 1913, and they had five children.
Dougherty received a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Tennessee in 1909. He was captain of the UT football, basketball, and track teams during his senior year. He moved to Ithaca, New York, where he received a Master's in civil engineering in 1914. From 1915-1916, he was Assistant Professor at George Washington University.
He returned to his alma mater in 1916 where he taught until his retirement 40 years later. He first served as department head in civil engineering from 1916-1940, and then from 1940-1956 he was dean of the College of Engineering. He retired in September 1956 as Dean Emeritus.
Dougherty, the educator, emphasized scholarship and professionalism as his main objectives. As a member of the UT Faculty he was elected to Chi Epsilon, Pi Tau Sigma, and Eta Kappa Nu. He was Engineer of the Year of the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1958, and Honorary Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1958. In addition to these and many other honors, the Board of Trustees of UT named the largest engineering building "The Nathan W. Dougherty Engineering Hall."
Dougherty was also a consulting engineer. He served the Tennessee Highway Department (1923-1936), the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (1835), and ARO, Inc., after he retired in 1956. Dougherty was listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Engineering, and American Men of Science.
In addition to his teaching and consulting careers, Dougherty played an important role in the early development of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Southeastern Conference. He served as Tennessee's Faculty Representative in athletics for forty years, as pro-team Commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, and as member and officer of the NCAA. In 1967, Dougherty was elected to the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame. In 1970, he was on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
Dougherty died in May 1977.
This collection documents the activities undertaken by Dougherty following his retirement from the U.T. Engineering faculty in 1956. Included are galley proofs of manuscripts intended for publications; numerous articles, speeches, lecture notes, essays, etc. by Dougherty reflecting his wide range of interests in addition to engineering; and notes and miscellaneous correspondence relating to Dougherty's long association with the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and college athletics. Of particular interest are a group of materials (Box 2, Folder 1) relating to Dougherty's induction intot he National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame in 1967.
A folder-level list of materials in this collection can be found in the Special Collections reading room.
See also MS-1376 and MS-1603.
