Vanderbilt University Founded - Timeline Event
Founder
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Time Period
1873
Description
Prior to the Civil War, the Methodist Episcopal Church South desired a local university to train Methodist ministers. The original plan was to open "The Central University of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South" in Nashville in 1872, but a lack of financial resources provided a setback.
Cornelius Vanderbilt, one of the wealthiest businessmen in the United States at the time, agreed to donate $500,000 to endow the university upon persuasion from Bishop Holland Nimmons McTyeire, who was a strong proponent for the university. The endowment eventually reached one million dollars, and Vanderbilt University was officially founded in the spring of 1873.
Though the university’s board of trust was predominantly under the control of the General Conference of the Methodist Church for the first 40 years, increased conflicts over governance and non-Methodist teachers eventually led the university to sever its ties with the Methodist Church in 1914.
Cornelius Vanderbilt, one of the wealthiest businessmen in the United States at the time, agreed to donate $500,000 to endow the university upon persuasion from Bishop Holland Nimmons McTyeire, who was a strong proponent for the university. The endowment eventually reached one million dollars, and Vanderbilt University was officially founded in the spring of 1873.
Though the university’s board of trust was predominantly under the control of the General Conference of the Methodist Church for the first 40 years, increased conflicts over governance and non-Methodist teachers eventually led the university to sever its ties with the Methodist Church in 1914.
Interactive Timeline(s)
Browse Related Timeline Entries
Religious Groups
Methodist/Pietist Family: Other ARDA LinksMethodist/Pietist Family: Religious Family Tree
Related Dictionary Terms
Methodist-Pietist FamilyPhotographs
Vanderbilt University, Old Main- Library of Congress, LC-DIG-det-4a08981
Cornelius Vanderbilt portrait- Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-109888
Bishop Holland McTyeire portrait- Hathi Trust- from Paasing Through the Gates by Holland Nimmons McTyeire
Kirkland Hall, Vanderbilt University- photo by Zeamays at English Wikipedia
Old Mechanical, Vanderbilt University- Wikimedia Commons- photo by Dansan4444
Web Source(s)
https://www.vanderbilt.edu/about/history/Vanderbilt University's Official Website
Web Page Contributor
Benjamin T. GurrentzAffliated with: Pennsylvania State University, Ph.D. in Sociology
