Tag: Columbian College (Washington DC)

Wikipedia says: The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a private research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest institution of higher education in the District of Columbia.

George Washington, the first President of the United States, advocated for the establishment of a national university in the U.S. capital in his first State of the Union address in 1790 and continued to promote this idea throughout his career and until his death. In his will, Washington left shares in the Potomac Company to endow the university. However, due to the company’s financial difficulties, funds were raised independently. On February 9, 1821, the university was established by an Act of Congress first as Columbian College and then as Columbian University, making it one of only five universities in the United States with a Congressional charter.

Founding

The first President of the United States, George Washington, long favored the establishment of a university in the capital of the United States. He wrote to the U.S. Congress and others in favor of it, and included a bequest in his last will and testament, though the shares lost their value and no educational institution ever benefited from them.

The Baptist missionary and leading minister Luther Rice raised funds to purchase a site in Washington, D.C. for a college to educate citizens from throughout the young nation. A large building was constructed on College Hill, which is now known as Meridian Hill, and on February 9, 1821, President James Monroe approved the congressional charter creating the non-denominational Columbian College.

The first commencement in 1824 was considered an important event for the young city of Washington, D.C. In attendance were President Monroe, John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, Marquis de Lafayette and other dignitaries.

GWU, like much of Washington, D.C., traces many of its origins back to the Freemasons. The Bible that the President of the George Washington University uses to swear an oath on upon inauguration is the Bible of Freemason George Washington. Freemasonry symbols are prominently displayed throughout the campus including the foundation stones of many of the university buildings.

19th century

During the Civil War, many students left to join the Confederacy and the college’s buildings were used as a Union Army military hospital and barracks. Walt Whitman was among many of the volunteers to work on the campus.

Following the war, in 1873, Columbian College became the Columbian University and moved to an urban downtown location centered on 15th and H streets.