While courses with sociological themes had been offered at the University of Michigan within the Departments of Political Science, Political Economy, and Philosophy since the early 1880s, the first courses bearing the name "sociology" were taught by Charles Horton Cooley in 1894. In 1931, a separate Department of Sociology was created and Roderick Duncan McKenzie became the first chairman.
Roderick Duncan McKenzie
1930-1940
Robert Cooley Angell
1940-1951
Amos H, Hawley
1951-1961
Guy E. Swanson
1961-1964
Albert E. Reiss
1964-1970
Howard Schuman
1970-1971 (Acting)
1971-1973
William Gamson
1974-1978
Walter Reynolds Farley
Winter Term 1972 (Acting)
1973-1974
1/1/1977-5/31/1977 (Acting)
1978-1980
Mayer N. Zald
1981-1984
Walter Reynolds Farley
1986-1987 (Acting)
James S. House
1986-1990
Mayer N. Zaid
1990-1992
Howard Schuman
1993-
Richard O, Lempert
1993 (Acting)
Howard A. Kimeldorf
1994 (Acting)
Duane F. Alwin
1998-2010
Alford A. Young, Jr.
2010
