Department of History

The University of Adelaide commenced teaching a Modern History course in 1900 with the appointment of Robert Langton Douglas, who also taught English Language and Literature. Douglas' successor as Chair, George Cockburn Henderson, also taught both subjects until 1922 when Modern History became a separate discipline.

In 1934, History was combined with Political Science with the appointment of G V Portus as Professor of Political Science and History.

History became a separate discipline again in 1954 when Hugh Stretton was appointed as Professor of History. This continued until 2002, when History was combined with Politics to form the School of History and Politics.

A separate Department of History was reinstated in 2014 within the School of Humanities.

Taken from University of Adelaide Archives Provenance Record - UAR-0206

Professor of Modern History and English Language and Literature 

• Professor Robert Langton Douglas, MA (Oxford), 1900-1902
• Professor George Cockburn Henderson, MA, 1902-1921 (Emeritus Professor 1924)

Professor of Modern History

• Professor George Cockburn Henderson, MA 1922-1924 (Emeritus Professor 1924)
• Professor William Keith Hancock, MA (Oxford), 1924-1934
• Professor George Frederick Elliott Rude, MA (Camb), PhD (Lond), DLitt, 1964-1967
• Professor Hugh Stretton AC, MA (Oxford), HonDLitt (ANU), Hon.LLD (Monash), FAHA, FASSA, 1954-1968 (Emeritus Professor 1989)

Professor of Political Science and History 

• Professor Garnet Vere Portus, MA, BLitt (Oxf), 1934-1950 (Emeritus Professor 1951)

Professor of History and Political Science 

• Professor Walter George Keith Duncan, MA (Syd), PhD (Lond), 1951-1965 (Emeritus Professor 1969)
• Professor Barbara Santich, BSc (Hons) (NSW), BA (Minnesota), PhD (Flin), 1993-2013 (Emeritus Professor 2013)

Professor of History

• Professor Trevor Gordon Wilson, MA (NZ), DPhil (Oxf), FAHA, FRHistS, 1968-1993 (Emeritus Professor 1994)
• Professor Austin George Gough, BA (Melb), DPhil (Oxf), FRHistS, 1970-1991 (Emeritus Professor 1992)
• Professor Wilfrid Robertson Prest, BA (Hons) (Melb), DPhil (Oxford), FRHistS FASSA FAHA, 1992-2001 (ARC Professorial Fellow in History & Law 2002-2007) (Emeritus Professor in History & Law 2007)
• Professor David Lemmings, DPhil (Oxf), PGCertEd (Lond), 2008-2019 (Emeritus Professor 2020)