Isaac Watts Waddell was born in Marietta, Georgia on October 6, 1849. He was the son of Dr. Isaac Watts Waddel and Sarah Rebecca Daniel Waddel. He earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from the University of Georgia in 1870 and 1873 respectively. In 1882 Waddell was ordained by the presbytery of Savannah. He served as an evangelist in the presbytery of Macon from 1890 to 1893.[2]
In 1893, facing pressure from the trustees, William Starr Basinger resigned from his position as president at North Georgia Agriculture College (NGAC) and was replaced by Isaac Watts Waddell.[3] During all four year of his presidency at the school Waddell lived in the House Hotel, which remains a prominent building located on the Dahlonegatown square.[4]
At the beginning of Waddell's presidency at NGAC in 1893 the male enrollment at the college fell to ninety. Because the NGAC was required to enroll a minimum of one hundred male students, the school lost its appropriation the following year. However, by the end of Waddell's presidency male student enrollment at the school increased well above this mark and the appropriation to the college was restored.[3]
