The Beginnings of King’s College

Emma GuidaAlma Mater Prof. McCaughey2/11/14

Background

• Historically, little interest in college-making in NYC• Most college graduates

of the city had attended Yale

• NYC did not have a single majority religious denomination (Distinct from CT, MA, VA, etc.)

• William Livingston (Yale) – 1749• Idea for non-secular

college, publicly supported college

• Most prominent commercial/political family in NYC

• NY legislature ready to underwrite creation of a college

Trinity ChurchAfter Livingston’s articles attacking the idea of an Anglican college (Spring 1753), TC came out with several statements:

President of the college had to be AnglicanReligious observations at the college had to be Anglican

Volunteers to give land for a college in NYC

6 acres, northern edge of Manhattan settlement

Samuel Johnson• Attended Yale, converted to

Anglicanism in 1724, ordained in England

• Considered an intellectual in the colonies

• Key figure in advancing Anglicanism in Connecticut

• Is promised a salary to come to NYC and head King’s College – takes the offer and becomes the first president of King’s College

• Marks Livingston losing his battle against an Anglican College in NYC; King’s College opens in 1754

In Practice• What happened• Did not garner many

students• 226 students

attended over the course of roughly 16 years• 116 students

graduated

• Why it happened• Families of Trinity

Church were the only pool from which students came• Only 30-40 families

attended TC• People did not

commonly come from out of state

In Practice, cont.

•King’s College becomes more of a commercial enterprise than a college•Only one building was erected on

the six acres•Most of the other space was used

as rental property

Myles Cooper• Second president, succeeded Samuel

Johnson• Came from England, attended Oxford • Only intended to spend a short

amount of time in the colonies, then back to Oxford

• Took an English sabbatical in 1773, came back with the one idea he had for King’s College• Idea of a University if KC were a

University, other colleges in the colonies would strive to send their students to King’s College (University)

The Revolution

• King’s College did not see it coming• New York in general was caught off guard – unaware of

revolutionary murmurs• When it did hit wealthy New York citizens

overwhelmingly sided with the Crown• Anglicans were very loyalist

• Upon hearing of the revolution, Myles Cooper fled to an anchored British naval ship (1775) • Rumored that Alexander Hamilton (former KC student)

aided him

Post-Revolution • After Myles Cooper

left, Kings College was shut down• Effectively out of

business from 1775-1783

• Only institution of its kind to have been so drastically affected by the revolution

• How to start back up?• Make revolutionary

leaders figureheads of the institution • John Jay, Alexander

Hamilton

• Change in name…

Columbia University

• Name change and ultimate recovery for King’s College (1784)

• Named after Christopher Columbus • “Columbia” (instead of

“Columbus”) was a nod towards the Italians

• Took Myles Cooper’s idea of the University – called it this, and made it comprised of smaller colleges