History Morehouse College

1 history

1.1 establishment
1.2 years
1.3 modern history

history
establishment

just 2 years after american civil war, augusta institute founded rev. william jefferson white, atlanta baptist minister , cabinetmaker (william jefferson white s half brother james e. tate, 1 of founders of atlanta university, known clark atlanta university), support of rev. richard c. coulter, former slave atlanta, georgia, , rev. edmund turney, organizer of national theological institute educating freedmen in washington, d.c. institution founded educate african american men in theology , education , located in springfield baptist church,(augusta, georgia), oldest independent black church in united states. institution moved augusta, georgia, atlanta, georgia, in 1879. school received sponsorship american baptist home mission society, organization helped establish several historically black colleges. institute s first president rev. joseph t. robert (1871-1884) (father of brigadier general henry martyn robert, author of robert s rules of order). anti-slavery baptist minister south carolina , 1828 graduate of brown university, robert raised funds, taught classes, , stabilized institution.

early years

a view of entrance campus courtyard.

in 1879, institute moved own location , changed name atlanta baptist seminary. later acquired 4-acre (1.6 ha) campus in downtown atlanta. in 1885, samuel t. graves became second president. year seminary moved present location, on land donated prominent baptist , industrialist, john d. rockefeller. in 1890, george sale became seminary s third president.

in 1906 john hope became first african-american president , led institution s growth in enrollment , academic stature. envisioned academically rigorous college antithesis booker t. washington s view of agricultural , trade-focused education african-americans. in 1913, college renamed morehouse college, in honor of henry l. morehouse, corresponding secretary of american baptist home mission society (who had long organized rockefeller , society s support college). morehouse entered cooperative agreement clark college , spelman college in 1929 , later expanded association form atlanta university center.

samuel h. archer became fifth president of college in 1931 , selected school colors, maroon , white, reflect own alma mater, colgate university. benjamin mays became president in 1940. mays, mentor martin luther king jr., presided on growth in international enrollment , reputation. during 1960s, morehouse students actively involved in civil rights movement in atlanta. mays speeches instrumental in shaping personal development of morehouse students during tenure.

in 1967, hugh m. gloster became seventh president. following year, college s phi beta kappa honors society founded. in 1975, gloster established morehouse school of medicine, became independent morehouse college in 1981. gloster established dual-degree program in engineering georgia institute of technology, university of michigan , boston university.

modern history

leroy keith jr., named president in 1987. in 1995, alumnus walter e. massey, became morehouse s ninth president. successor, robert michael franklin jr. tenth president of college. in november 2012, john silvanus wilson, alumnus of morehouse college, announced institution s 11th president.

in 2007, morehouse graduated 540 men, 1 of largest classes in history. on may 16, 2008, joshua packwood became first white valedictorian graduate in school s 141-year history. in august 2008, morehouse welcomed total of 920 new students (770 freshmen , 150 transfer students) campus, 1 of largest entering classes in history of school.

morehouse celebrated several historic milestones in 2013. 100 years ago, in 1913, atlanta baptist college renamed morehouse college after henry lyman morehouse, corresponding secretary american baptist home mission society. 2013 50th anniversary of 1963 march on washington, when morehouse graduate rev. martin luther king jr., class of 1948, delivered iconic have dream speech in washington, d.c. year marks 50th anniversary of king s letter birmingham jail. college celebrated 25th anniversary of candle in dark gala, honors of world s leaders , raises scholarship funds morehouse students.

in may 2013, president barack obama became first sitting president in three-quarters of century deliver commencement address in georgia when took part in morehouse college s 129th commencement ceremony. franklin delano roosevelt gave summer commencement address @ university of georgia in 1938. president obama received honorary doctor of laws degree morehouse.