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THE FOUNDING OF THE UNIVERSITY
HISTORY
of the Agricultural College of Nebraska is also a history of the
University of Nebraska. From the earliest years to the present day
the two have been inseparably connected. The Agricultural College
was established as one of the colleges of the University, later,
in 1877, being incorporated in the Industrial College, and still
later, in 1909, again becoming a separate college of the
University, the College of Agriculture.
The University and Agricultural College
received their endowment from two sources. The Enabling Act of
1864, providing for the state's admission into the Union, declared
that seventy-two sections, (46,080 acres) should be "set apart and
reserved for the use and support of a state university, and to be
appropriated and applied as the Legislature may prescribe." The
Land Grant Act of 1862, referred to in our preceding chapter,
allotted 30,000 acres of land to each state for each
representative and senator in Congress, for the purpose of
"endowment, support, and maintenance of at least one college,
where the leading object shall be, without excluding other
scientific and classical studies and including military tactics,
to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture
and the mechanic arts."
An act of 1866 provided "that when any
Territory shall become a State and be admitted into the Union such
new State shall be entitled to the benefits of the said act of
July 2, 1862, by expressing the acceptance therein required within
three years from the date of its admission into the Union, and
providing the college or colleges within five years after such
acceptance." Under the Land Grant Act of 1862 Nebraska was
entitled to 90,000 acres, making a
total of 136,080 acres available for the support of a
university and agricultural college. Nebraska was admitted as a
state on March 1, 1867.
THE LEGISLATURE PROVIDES FOR THE
UNIVERSITY
February 15, 1869 marks the establishment of
the University. It was on this day, now known as Charter Day in
the history of the University, that the Nebraska Legislature
passed definite legislation for its establishment. Before this
time, however, the Legislature had had in mind the establishment
of a University. in an act of the Legislature, approved June 14,
1867, authorizing the selection of 640 acres for the site of the
capital city, there was this provision:
"The State University and State Agricultural
College shall be united as one educational institution, and shall
be located upon a reservation selected by said Commissioners, in
said 'Lincoln,' and the necessary buildings shall be erected
thereon as soon as funds can be secured by the sale of lands
donated to the State for the purposes or from other sources."
In the summer of 1867 the site for the city
of Lincoln was selected and four blocks in the north part of the
town were set aside for the University. Under the United States
law the land grant of the Government had to be accepted within
three years after the admission of the state. So Governor Butler
in his message of January 9, 1869 had called attention to the
necessity of taking immediate action for the organization of the
University and Agricultural College.
The Act of February 15, 1869 provided "that
there shall be established in this state an institution under the
name and style of 'The University of Nebraska.' The object of such
institution shall be to afford to the inhabitants of this State,
the means of acquiring a thorough knowledge of the various
branches of literature, science and the arts."
The Legislature was certainly ambitious
enough for the
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University, for no less than six colleges and some fifty
"chairs" or professorships were established. There was to be a
College of Ancient and Modern Literature, Mathematics and the
Natural Sciences; a College of Agriculture; a College of Law; a
College of Medicine; a College of Practical Science, Civil
Engineering and Mechanics; and a College of Fine Arts. In the
College of Ancient and Modern Literature, Mathematics and the
Natural Sciences there were to be two chairs of ancient languages,
two chairs of modern languages, a chair of rhetoric, oratory and
logic, v. chair of history and geography, a chair of philosophy of
the human mind, a chair of moral philosophy, a chair of natural
theology and the history of all religions, a chair of the
mathematics, a chair of natural philosophy, a chair of chemistry,
and a chair of political economy.
In the College of Agriculture there were to
be a chair of applied chemistry, a chair of botany, a chair of
agriculture, a chair of horticulture, a chair of meteorology and
climatology, a chair of veterinary surgery, and a superintendent
of the model farm.
The ambitious nature of this program was
somewhat tempered by the provision that the regents should fill
only such chairs in the College of Ancient and Modern Literature,
Mathematics and the Natural Sciences, the College of Agriculture,
and the College of Practical Science, Civil Engineering and
Mechanics as the wants of the institution should demand. They
might require the professors to serve in more than one department
or college, until the students increased to sufficient numbers.
This law also provided that "no new professorship shall be
established without the authority of the Legislature." The College
of Fine Arts was not to be established until the annual income of
the University Fund reached $100,000.
For the College of Agriculture, there was
this additional provision:
"The Governor shall set apart two sections of
any Agricultural College land, or Saline land [the salt lands
in the early days were
considered of value], belonging to the State, and
shall notify the State Land Commissioner of such reservation, for
the purpose of a Model Farm, as a part of the College of
Agriculture, and such land, so set apart, shall not be disposed of
for any other purpose."
The Legislature also provided "for the sale
of the unsold lots and blocks on the town site of Lincoln, and for
the location and erection of a state university and agricultural
college and state lunatic asylum." Sixteen thousand dollars from
the proceeds of the lot sale was to be devoted to constructing the
capitol dome, and some finishing touches on the capitol, $50,000
was to be devoted to the "state lunatic" asylum, and $100,000 to
the erection of a suitable building for the state university and
agricultural college. Forty sections of saline lands might also be
sold in case the lots did not yield sufficient revenue.
The dream of a great university was now to be
realized. Its endowment was to be provided thru the land grants,
the actual construction of its first building thru the sale of
town lots, and the legislature in 1869 had also provided a one
mill tax levy for the support of the institution.
THE UNIVERSITY BUILDING
The sale of lots began on June 5, 1869. The
first day $30,000 worth of lots were sold and it seemed evident
that the future of the institution would be assured. The plans of
the building were drawn by J. M. McBird of Logansport, Ind. The
structure was to follow the "Franco-Italian" style of
architecture. The contract was let to Silver & Son, August 18,
1869, for $128,480; $28,480 more than the legislative
appropriation called for. This brought considerable criticism,
which was to increase year by year as the construction of the
building became more and more apparent. The cornerstone was laid
September 23, 1869. The Masons were in charge of the exercises,
Professor Caldwell tells us in his history, and a brass band
was
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imported from Omaha for the occasion. A banquet, and a
dance that lasted from 10 p. m. to 4 a. m., concluded the day's
festivities.
It was not an easy task to erect the
building, since with Nebraska's meager railroad facilities, the
lumber had to be hauled overland. "The contractors for the
University pushed the work with remarkable energy," Samuel Aughey
tells us in an address which was delivered on Charter Day,
February 15, 1881.
"At this day it is hard to realize the
disadvantages under which they labored. The lumber was shipped
from Chicago to East Nebraska City, four miles east of the
Missouri in Iowa, opposite to the present Nebraska City. It was
hauled to Lincoln in wagons, over wretched roads, a distance of
sixty-five miles. The contractors paid $10 a cord for wood with
which to burn brick, and which was hauled from twenty to
thirty-five miles. On April 7, 1870, the brick work was commenced
and though there was an interruption of three weeks for want of
brick, the walls were completed and the roof on by the middle of
the following August. In eighty-two days 1,500,000 brick were made
and put in these University walls."
The building had been completed by January 6,
1871, for there is this notation in the report of the Board of
Regents for that day:
"The Board accepted the invitation of D. J.
Silver & Son, to visit and examine the University building. On
returning to their room, they passed the following resolution:
"'Resolved, That the visit of this Board to
the University building has been made today with great
satisfaction; that to us the building appears to be well
constructed and substantial, and that its general plan, as well as
the details, are eminently well fitted to answer the purpose for
which the same was erected.'"
There was considerable question as to the
safety of the new building and on June 13, 1871, three
professional architects were employed to examine the building.
They pronounced the building safe for years to come, but
recommended some minor changes, which were made.
EARLY STUDENT DAYS
The University was now ready to receive
students and this significant statement appears in the
announcement of the University for 1871-72:
" . . . the Regents, February 7, 1871
resolved to open the first department of the University in the
Fall, and on the 4th of April they selected a corps of competent
and experienced professors, and fixed the time of opening
September 7, 1871."
Only one college of the six came into being
at this time, that of Ancient and Modern Languages, Mathematics,
and Natural Science. The announcement stated that "the
Agricultural College will be organized at the earliest practicable
time, to meet the requirements of the law, and the needs of the
University. The model farm will soon be located." A Latin school
was established, which aimed to take care of those students who
did not have sufficient preparation to enter the regular
University course.
The members of the faculty were Allen R.
Benton, chancellor and professor of intellectual and moral
science; S. H. Manley, professor of ancient languages and
literature; O. C. Dake, professor of rhetoric and English
literature; Samuel Aughey, professor of chemistry and natural
sciences; and George E. Church, principal of the Latin school. Mr.
Church is said to have taught whatever mathematics and modern
languages were given that year.
There were twenty college students in
attendance the first year, one junior, two sophomores, five
freshmen and twelve who were students in the University classes,
but "not entirely regular in the course." The "junior" in the
University was J. Stuart Dales, who for fifty years has been a
prominent figure in the official life of the University and who is
now corporation secretary of the Board of Regents. Mr. Dales and
W. H. Snell were the first graduates of the University, receiving
their degrees in 1873. The Latin school was the largest division
of the University, with 110 students. That was doubtless due to
the fact that
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there were as yet comparatively few secondary schools in
Nebraska which could prepare their students for entrance to the
University. The University attendance remained rather small for
several years, the number of students enrolled from 1871 to 1877
being 20, 46, 43, 48, 66, and 67. The enrollment in the Latin
school for those years was 110, 77, 57, 69, 198, 161.
For the first year three courses were
advertised, the classical, the scientific, and the selected. In
the last course the students chose such subjects as they
preferred, "with the advice and under the direction of the
faculty." As might be expected, Latin and Greek were by no means
neglected in the University. "The classical course," read the
announcement, "is earnestly recommended by the faculty, as that
which experience and the practice of the best institutions have
shown to be best suited to secure a sound and systematic
education." Military drill provided for in the Land Grant Act was
to be added later.
TROUBLE WITH THE BUILDING
There was considerable difficulty with the
University building beginning the first year. In his first report
Chancellor Benton was obliged to report that "some difficulty has
been experienced in making the roof impervious to rain. A violent
hail storm broke more than twenty panes of glass, and injured the
tin roof so that it has been quite difficult to repair the
damage." There was also trouble with the furnaces used to heat the
building.
The impression seemed to grow that the
building was insecure. On July 6, 1877, the Board of Regents
resolved to tear down the building and erect a new one, but their
action was stayed by the arrival of an architect from Chicago and
another from Dubuque, Iowa, who declared that the structure could
be readily repaired. New foundation walls were put in and with
other improvements which have been made from time to time, the
building still stands to
day. For years it was the headquarters of everything
connected with the University-Agricultural College as well as
classical course.
CONTROL OF THE UNIVERSITY
In the beginning the general supervision of
the University was vested in a board of twelve regents. Nine of
them under the law were to be chosen by the Legislature in joint
session, three from each judicial district. The chancellor of the
University, the governor, and the superintendent of public
instruction were the other three members, who served ex officio.
The new State Constitution of 1875 changed the manner of choosing
regents, arranging for six to be chosen by vote of the people, two
of them retiring every two years. The first Board of Regents was,
however, appointed by the Governor. The name of R. W. Furnas is
probably the most conspicuous among those of the first regents,
because for years he was to wield important influence in the
agricultural affairs of the state.
EARLY FINANCES
The Legislature in 1869 had provided a
one-mill tax for the support of the institution. There was
evidently some feeling that this tax was too high, especially
since the institution had not yet opened for students, and we find
the Regents themselves agreeing to a reduction. This Potation is
found in the report of their meeting February 7, 1871:
"On motion of Regent Fuller, a bill was
ordered to be drafted and presented to the Legislature for
adoption reducing the one mill tax for the benefit of the
University to one-half a mill. The bill was prepared and intrusted
to Senator Thomas."
But the Legislature went one better and
reduced the levy to one-fourth of a mill. There it remained until
1877, when the Legislature increased it to three-eighths of a
mill, at the pressing request of the Board of Regents. It was
not
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until 1899 that the tax was restored to the one-mill levy
on the dollar of valuation.
From the beginning the University derived
practically no money from tuition fees. "To all residents of the
State the tuition will be free," read the University's first
announcement. "An entrance fee of $5 is paid by every student at
the time of his matriculation. Non-residents of the State are
charged $8 per term." At that time there were three terms of
school, a fall, winter, and spring term. A few years later this
fee charged outsiders was abolished, it being felt that most of
those coming from other states were prospective residents for
Nebraska. From 1876 to 1879 an incidental fee of $2 was charged
students.
The salaries of the faculty were
comparatively liberal for that day. In fact, it was a long period
of years before there was much of an increase over those salaries
paid the first few years. At a meeting of the Board of Regents
held in December, 1870, the salary of the chancellor was fixed at
$5,000. But at a meeting April 4, 1871, the salary of the
chancellor was fixed at $4,000, and that of the professors at
$2,000. At a meeting in June, 1878, the salary of the chancellor
was reduced to $3,500 and all $2,000 salaries were cut to
$1,800.
THE LANDED ENDOWMENT
During the early years the University had not
begun to receive any income from its landed endowment. Governor
David Butler on December 23, 1870, reported that the endowment
lands "are now being selected." However, the report of the Board
of Regents for February 28, 1871, contains this notation:
"The Committee reported that the grant for
the seventy-two sections was complete, but that an additional act
of Congress was necessary to entitle the State to the 90,000
acres. A joint resolution was ordered to be drafted for
presentation to the Legislature asking of Congress such an
act."
On March 4, 1871, the Legislature
formally petitioned Congress for the grant of land. William Adair,
for many years president of the Board of Regents of the
University, personally selected the lands to be included in the
government's grants of land for the endowment of the institution.
Unfortunately, these lands which had been carefully selected for
the University were merged with the common school lands, under a
state board other than the Board of Regents, - all called
educational lands. The amount of land belonging to the common
schools was always so great that there was a constant clamor on
the part of the people to sell it. The idea was to attract people
to the state and at the same time reduce the taxes. Could the
University lands have been divorced from the common school lands
they could have been retained until they would have brought large
sums.
The Constitution of 1875 provided that none
of the lands could be sold for less than $7 an acre. For many
years the educational school lands were subject to lease for
twenty-five years at 6 per cent of the appraised value, subject to
reappraisement every five years, and the lessee had the right of
purchase at the appraised value. As the value approached the
constitutional minimum of $7 an acre, people found it more
advantageous to purchase. The sale of the University lands, along
with the common school lands, was made for one-tenth down and
twenty years time on the balance. The Legislature of 1897
prohibited the further sale of the University lands, but
unfortunately most of them had been disposed of before that
time.
THE FIRST CHANCELLOR
Allen R. Benton, the University's first
chancellor, undoubtedly had more foresight than most of the people
of the time gave him credit for. It was the chancellor who in the
second year of the University's history suggested the holding of
farmers' institutes, the first instance of agricultural extension
instruction in Nebraska and a movement
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which in forty years was to grow to unusual pretensions.
It was Chancellor Benton who at one time amazed the people of the
state by suggesting the possibility that a larger campus should be
secured for the institution, because of the rapid growth
anticipated. While the institution did not grow as rapidly as
Chancellor Benton had anticipated, there did come a time when it
became necessary either to enlarge the uptown campus by purchasing
high-priced land or else to remove the University bodily to the
Agricultural College campus. In his first report the chancellor
recommended that a woman be employed on the faculty, which was to
find realization some years later.
Chancellor Benton was born in Cayuga County,
New York in 1822. He was graduated in 1847 from Bethany College,
Virginia, now in West Virginia, with first honors in mathematics
and languages. For several years he was professor of ancient
languages at Northwestern Christian University, Indianapolis, Ind.
He was chancellor of the University of Nebraska from 1871 to 1876,
resigning to return to Indiana where he later became president of
the Northwestern Christian University, later Butler College.
REFERENCES
Annual Reports of the Chancellor to the Board of Regents,
University of Nebraska. 1872-76.
CALDWELL, HOWARD
W. Education in Nebraska. Circular of Information No. 3,
1902, of the United States Bureau of Education.
Catalogs of the University of Nebraska. 1872-77.
Laws of the State of Nebraska. 1867, 1869, 1871,
1877.
MORTON, J.
STERLING and
WATKINS, ALBERT.
History of Nebraska. Volume 3. Western Publishing and
Engraving Co., Lincoln. 1913.
Reports of the Board of Regents, University of Nebraska.
1871-79.
The University of Nebraska, 1869-1919. Semi-Centennial
Anniversary Book. The University, 1919.
© 2002 for the NEGenWeb Project by Pam Rietsch, Ted & Carole
Miller
