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Russian language instruction was first offered at the University of Washington in the 1915-16 academic year by a German professor, Hans Jacob Hoff. The next year, a native speaker of Russian, Elvine Simeon, was hired with financial support from transportation and utilities magnate Samuel Hill (1857-1931) to teach Russian language, literature, reading and grammar in the Department of Oriental History, Literature and Languages. Her courses were listed in the University Catalog for two years, after which there appears to have been a 15-year hiatus in the teaching of Russian at the UW.

Russian was reintroduced in 1933 by Ivar Spector, at that time an instructor in Oriental Studies, who expanded the offerings in Russian literature, history and culture through the 1930s and early ’40s. George Taylor, who joined the Department of Oriental Studies in 1939, increased both its size and its stature during his tenure as its head. Noah Gershevsky joined the Far Eastern Department in 1943 and was in charge of Russian language teaching until 1963. Vadim Pahn and Elias Novikov were added as Russian language instructors in 1946 and 1947, and in 1949 Victor Ehrlich joined them as assistant professor of Slavic Languages & Literature. In 1953, the appointment of Lew Micklesen, who took over most of the courses in Slavic linguistics, made it possible for the offerings in Russian literature to be expanded.

Slavic graduate studies were introduced in 1954, and the first doctorate was awarded in 1960. Polish was introduced in 1954, Czech in 1962, Bulgarian was first taught in 1965 and Romanian in 1970. In 1964 a well-integrated four-year Russian language program was established.

From 1933 to 1968, Russian and other Slavic studies were administratively a branch of Oriental Studies at the University of Washington. First in the Department of Oriental Studies (1933-42), then in the Far Eastern Department (1942-49), and finally in the Department of Far Eastern and Slavic Languages and Literatures (1949-68). In 1968 the department became the autonomous Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures with Reid (Lew) Micklesen as its first chair, followed in 1970 by Jack Haney and in 1977 by Davor Kapetanic. Karl Kramer assumed the chair in 1988 and held the position until 1998, with James Augerot replacing him as Acting Chair from December 1993 to September 1996. Jack Haney returned to the helm from 1998 to 2001, and was succeeded in November of that year by Galya Diment, who served as Chair through June 2012. In July 2012 Katarzyna Dziwirek became Chair.

[Source: https://slavic.washington.edu/history]