In 1888,
Captain Lyman Hall was appointed Georgia Tech's first mathematics professor (and consequently head of the school's mathematics department). He had a solid background in engineering due to his time at West Point and often incorporated surveying and other engineering applications into his coursework. He had an energetic personality and quickly assumed a leadership position among the faculty. In February 1899, Georgia Tech opened the first
textile engineering school in the
Southern United States, with $10,000 from the Georgia General Assembly, $20,000 of donated machinery, and $13,500 from supporters. The school was named the A. French Textile School, after its chief donor and supporter,
Aaron S. French. Hall's other goals included enlarging Tech and attracting more students, so he expanded the school's offerings beyond mechanical engineering; the new degrees introduced during Hall's administration included
electrical engineering and
civil engineering in December 1896,
textile engineering in February 1899, and
engineering chemistry in January 1901. Hall also became infamous as a disciplinarian, even suspending the entire senior class of 1901 for returning from
Christmas vacation a day late. Hall died on August 16, 1905, during a vacation at a
New York health resort. His death while still in office was attributed to stress from his strenuous fund raising activities (this time, for a new Chemistry building). == Lyman Hall building ==