Meigs Hall is named in honor of Josiah Meigs who was the first president of the University of Georgia from 1801-1810. Meigs in his tenure designed the first curriculum for Physics for UGA. He was also noted for envisioning and laying out a plan for the landscape of North Campus, the oldest part of the University of Georgia. Meigs then served as U. Surveyor General and commissioner of Land under President James Madison. As the Commissioner of Land, Meigs was responsible for setting up daily weather observations at stations around the country under his control. Meigs also later would go to become a member and President of the prominent Columbian Institute. He later became a professor and founding trustee of George Washington University in Washington D.C. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C.
Josiah Meigs is remembered in many various ways around Athens. The University of Georgia annually awards a teaching honor called the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professorship. Meigs Street in Athens is named after Josiah Meigs. Meigs Hall was built in 1905. Over the years, the Biology, Psychology, and Germanic and Slavic Languages Department have all been housed in Meigs Hall. Today, it is the home of the Institute of Higher Learning.
