Charles Pinckney Hogarth was born Brunson, South Carolina in 1911. He received his B.S. from Clemson, Bachelor of Divinity from Yale in 1935, M.A. from Yale in 1939, and Ph.D. from George Peabody College for Teachers in 1947. Before coming to MSCW, he was president of Gulf Park College, a small women's college in Gulfport, MS. He then served as president of MSCW/MUW from 1952-1977.

Dr. Hogarth presided over an unprecedented period of growth in enrollment, staffing, and campus footprint. The number of buildings increased from 26 in 1952 to 61 in 1977, full-time employees from 257 to 558, and enrollment from 770 to 3,182. Degree programs introduced during his time include Bachelor of Fine Arts, B.M. in sacred music, B.S. in preschool and primary education, B.S. in business, B.S. in speech, and B.S. in applied design. He also established the Graduate School in 1966 and the School of Nursing in 1971.

In 1966, Dr. Hogarth initiated the desegregation of the university, admitting three African American undergraduates and three African American graduate students. In 1969, a Civil Rights committee was established to address grievances relating to treatment of minority students. Dr. Hogarth also explored the possibility of moving to co-education, but ultimately dropped the question. In 1974, he presided over the granting of university status and name change to Mississippi University for Women. He married Nancy Wells Harris in 1940. Charles and Nancy had two children, Charles Hogarth, Jr. (Chuck) and Nancy Hogarth McClanahan (Eva).