Robert J. McMullen

The Reverend Robert J. McMullen
McMullen c. 1945
15th President of Centre College
In office September 1, 1944 – October 1, 1946
Preceded by	Robert L. McLeod
Succeeded by	Walter A. Groves
Personal details
Born	(1884-05-18)May 18, 1884 Blackstock, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	October 26, 1962(1962-10-26) (aged 78) High Point, North Carolina, U.S.
Resting place	Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.
Spouse	Emma Moffett ​ (m. 1910)​
Education	Centre College Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Columbia University Princeton University

Robert Johnston McMullen (May 18, 1884 – October 26, 1962) was an American pastor, missionary, and academic administrator. A graduate of Centre College and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, he was licensed to preach in April 1909 and soon after left the country to begin a period of more than thirty years in Hangzhou, China. He worked as a Presbyterian missionary from 1911 to 1932 before joining the faculty of Hangchow Christian College and eventually becoming the school's president for a four-year term. After a seven-month detainment in a Japanese prison camp, McMullen returned to the United States in 1943 and was elected president of his alma mater the next year. He began in the role in September 1944 as "co-president" alongside Robert L. McLeod, who had been away since December 1942 as a chaplain in the United States Navy. The war having concluded, both McLeod and McMullen resigned in November 1945, though McMullen stayed at Centre as its lone president until the following October. After leaving Danville, he worked for the United Board for Christian Colleges in China before his 1953 retirement.