History of the University of Kansas

The **history of the University of Kansas** starts in 1855. This was when people wanted to build a "University of the Territory of Kansas."  Nine years later in 1864, with the help of Amos Adams Lawrence, Kansas Governor Charles L. Robinson, and several other important people, the Kansas Legislature chartered the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. The university was at first funded by a $15,000 donation on a  area of land from Charles Robinson and his wife Sara.  The university started preparatory-level classes in 1866 and college-level classes in 1869.

## Beginnings: 1850s–1880s
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### Conception
The idea for a public university in the Kansas Territory was first mentioned by Territorial Governor Andrew Reeder on July 3, 1855. He gave a speech to members of the first territorial legislature, saying: "To enlarge upon the necessity of general education for producing good government," he told the lawmakers, "would be at this day a work of supererogation, and I leave the matter in your hands, confident it will receive the attention it deserves." However, this proposed university was never built.

Lawrence residents had first thought of opening a private Free-State college in the town when it was first settled. This was in the summer of 1854. By 1856, no private college for Lawrence was yet created. However, the people of Lawrence were still hoping to create one. They also started to hope that it could later be changed into the state's university.

### Establishment
In 1859, in the Wyandotte Constitution - the constitution that Kansas became a state with - parts were written to create a state university. It was owned by former Kansas Governor Charles L. Robinson. Robinson and his wife Sara traded the  area to the State of Kansas in exchange for land somewhere else.

The school's Board of Regents had its first meeting in March 1865. This is the event that KU dates its creation from. Work on the first college building (Old North College) started later that year. In 1920, the King of Belgium asked for a normal American college chant at the Olympic Games. After discussion, the athletes at the Games agreed on the Rock Chalk chant.

In March 1898, lightning struck the engineering building and the heating plant. It started major fires, and destroyed both buildings. As a result, former Kansas City businessman George Fowler gave $18,000 to rebuild. It became known as the Fowler Shops. On February 8, 1912, a group of KU women organized the Women's Athletic Association. It was the first group of its kind in the school's history. William B. Thayer and his wife donated their personal art collection to KU, valued at $150,000.

## 1920s–1940s
In 1921, the Memorial Stadium was built to replace McCook Field. The football team still plays in Memorial Stadium. This makes it the seventh oldest college football stadium in the United States.

On May 13, 1923, William Allen White became the first KU alumnus to win a Pulitzer Prize. It was awarded to him for his Emporia Gazette editorial “To An Anxious Friend”. In that editorial, White defended free speech. The School of Business was created in 1924. The first campus union was built on in 1926 as a campus community center. On February 18, 1930, future KU alumnus Clyde Tombaugh said he discovered the planet Pluto. Later in 1930, present-day Snow Hall was completed and dedicated. It replaced the old, broken building. In 1932, one of KU's most famous football and wrestling stars, Pete Mehringer, qualified for the 1932 Olympics.

A major civil rights decision came on August 8, 1938. Under severe pressure from Kansas Governor Walter Huxman and several civil rights leaders, the Kansas Board of Regents voted to stop rules which had stopped black students from completing their education at the KU School of Medicine. In 1954, the debate team won their first National Debate Tournament. Allen Fieldhouse was dedicated on March 1, 1955. The KU basketball team would win its only home game of the season on the same night.

In 1993, the KU Edwards Campus was created in Overland Park, Kansas. It was created in order to provide adults with a chance to get college degrees and to get better education. The Edwards campus started providing programs developmental psychology, public administration, social work, systems analysis, engineering management and design.

## 2000s to present
The football team, led by coach Mark Mangino, won the 2008 Orange Bowl. They finished the season 12–1.
In 2009, the debate team won the National Debate Tournament for the fifth time in KU's history. Gray-Little retired on June 30, 2017.

## References
## Other websites
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*Interactive temporal map of the KU campus