Princeton University

For other Princetons, see Princeton. Most of them are named after the University.

History of the University

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Established by the ?New Light? Presbyterians, Princeton was originally intended to train ministers. The college opened at Elizabeth, New Jersey, under the presidency of Jonathan Dickinson as the College of New Jersey. (It was proposed to name it for the colonial Governor, Jonathan Belcher, but he declined.) Its second president was the father of Aaron Burr; the third was Jonathan Edwards. In 1756 the college moved to Princeton, New Jersey.

Related Topics:
New Light - Presbyterians - Elizabeth, New Jersey - Jonathan Dickinson - College of New Jersey - Jonathan Belcher - Aaron Burr - Jonathan Edwards - Princeton, New Jersey

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From the time of the move to Princeton in 1756 until the construction of Stanhope Hall in 1803, the University's sole building was Nassau Hall, named for William III of England of the House of Orange-Nassau. During the American Revolution, Princeton was occupied by both sides, and the college's buildings were heavily damaged. The Battle of Princeton, fought in a nearby field in January of 1777, proved to be a decisive victory for General George Washington and his troops. Two of Princeton's leading citizens signed the Declaration of Independence, and during the summer of 1783, the Continental Congress met in Nassau Hall, making Princeton the country's capital for four months. The much-abused landmark survived bombardment with cannonballs in the Revolutionary War when General Washington struggled to wrest the building from British control, as well as later fires that left only its walls standing 1802 and 1855, and innumerable minor insults. Rebuilt by Joseph Henry Latrobe, John Notman, and John Witherspoon, the modern Nassau Hall has been much revised and expanded from the Robert Smith-designed original. Over the centuries, its role shifted from an all-purpose building, comprising office, dormitory, library, and classroom space, to classrooms only, to its present role as the administrative center of the university. (Princeton Companion)

Related Topics:
Nassau Hall - William III of England - House of Orange-Nassau - Battle of Princeton - January - 1777 - George Washington - Declaration of Independence - 1783 - Continental Congress - Cannonball - Revolutionary War - Joseph Henry Latrobe - John Notman - John Witherspoon - Robert Smith - Dormitory - Library

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The Princeton Theological Seminary was separated from Princeton in 1812, since the Presbyterians wanted their ministers to have more theological training, and the faculty and students would be content with less. This reduced the student body and the external support for Princeton for some time. Currently, there are disputes between the two sets of alumni with Princeton Seminary students emphasizing the connection to the university, and University alums noting the long seperation.

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The university was becoming an obscure backwater when President James McCosh took office in 1868. During his two decades in power, he overhauled the curriculum, oversaw an expansion of inquiry into the sciences, and supervised the addition of a number of buildings in the High Victorian Gothic style to the campus. (Princeton Companion) The oft-photographed McCosh Hall is named in his honor.

Related Topics:
James McCosh - 1868 - High Victorian Gothic

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In 1896, the college officially changed its name from the College of New Jersey to Princeton University to honor the town in which it resided. During this year, the College also underwent large expansion and officially became a university. Under Woodrow Wilson, Princeton introduced the preceptorial system (1905), a then-unique concept that replaced the standard lecture method of teaching with a more personal form where small groups of students, or precepts, could interact with a single instructor, or preceptor, in their field of interest.

Related Topics:
1896 - College of New Jersey - Woodrow Wilson

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In 1930, the Institute for Advanced Study, not affiliated with the University, was founded in Princeton and became the first residential institute for scholars in the country, with Albert Einstein appointed as one of its first professors. The 20th century has seen an influx of scholars, research personnel, and corporations to Princeton from all parts of the world.

Related Topics:
1930 - Institute for Advanced Study - Scholars - Albert Einstein - 20th century

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In 1969, Princeton University first admitted women as undergraduates. In 1887, the university had actually maintained and staffed a sister coIlege in the town of Princeton on Evelyn and Nassau streets, called the Evelyn College for Women, which was closed after roughly a decade of operation. Years later the administration decided to admit women and turned to the issue of transforming the school's operations and facilities into a female-friendly campus. The administration barely finished these plans by April 1969, when the admission's office had to start mailing out its acceptance letters. Its five-year coeducation plan provided $7.8 million for the development of new facilities that would eventually house and educate 650 women students at Princeton by 1974. Ultimately, 148 women, consisting of 100 freshwomen and transfer students of other years, entered Princeton on September 6, 1969 amidst a frenzy of media ogling and ribbing.

Related Topics:
1969 - 1887 - Sister coIlege - Evelyn College for Women - April 1969

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Princeton University has been home to scholars, scientists, writers, and statesmen, including three United States presidents, Woodrow Wilson, Grover Cleveland, and John F. Kennedy, who spent his freshman fall at the University before leaving due to illness; he later enrolled at Harvard. The entertainer and civil rights figure Paul Robeson grew up in the Borough of Princeton, and artisans from Italy, Scotland, and Ireland have contributed to the town's architectural history. This legacy, spanning the entire history of American architecture, is preserved through buildings by such architects as Benjamin Latrobe, Ralph Adams Cram, McKim, Mead & White, Robert Venturi, and Nick Yeager.

Related Topics:
Woodrow Wilson - Grover Cleveland - John F. Kennedy - Harvard - Paul Robeson - Borough of Princeton - Italy - Scotland - Ireland - American architecture - Benjamin Latrobe - Ralph Adams Cram - McKim, Mead & White - Robert Venturi - Nick Yeager

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