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Prototype for UO history section:

History

A university in Oregon

In the Donation Land Act of 1850, the United States Congress granted two townships to the Territory of Oregon, for use as a state university. In 1854, after the separation of the Oregon Territory into the Oregon and Washington Territories, the grant was revised to include two townships for each. During the 1850s, the land was sold (first at $2.50, later for $4.00 per acre) to private parties, and by 1870 the state's "university fund" amounted to $11,045.09.

During the state constitutional convention in 1857, the topic of a state university was discussed, and throughout the 1850s, the legislature repeatedly moved the proposed location (possible locations included Marysville (now Corvallis and Jacksonville). Judge Matthew Deady, the namesake of the University's first building (Deady Hall), was the president of the consitutional convention and led the southern party, which was opposed to state education in all forms. They believed that the state's existing institutions (including Willamette University) were sufficient for its citizens' education. The 1862 Morrill Land Grant Act added further resources to the state's university fund, and when the state finally exercised its rights under the Act to add 90,000 acres of land to the University, the fund increased to $40,979.74 by the end of 1872.

The Union University Association

In August 1872, the Union University Association was incorporated in Eugene by B.F. Dorris and Judge J.M. Thompson. In September, they sent a proposal to the Oregon Legislature, promising to donate a site and building worth $50,000, in exchange for the location of the university in Eugene.

After a legislative struggle, the proposal by the Union University Association won approval over similar proposals from Albany, [[Salem, Oregon|Salem], Monmouth, and Forest Grove. The first Board of Regents was appointed by the Governor, consisting of Matthew P. Deady, L.L. McArthur, R.S. Strahan, J.M. Thompson, Thomas G. Hendricks, George Humphrey, Joshua J. Walton, William H.H. Scott, and B.F. Dorris. On 21 April 1873, the Union University Association purchased 17.75 acres of land, which was then one-half mile east of Eugene. The $50,000 total needed for construction of the first building was obtained through a combination of public and private means. The first $30,000 was approved as a county tax on 15 March 1873, while the remaining $20,000 was from private subscriptions. Donations ranged from $5 to $500 each, and school entertainments, strawberry festivals, and church fund-raisers helped organizers obtain the funds.

By 1874, the University was already faltering. The Union University Association had successfully built the shell of the building on the land it obtained, but couldn't raise additional funds to finish the interior. It appealed to the legislature for an extension to complete the building (the original deadline was 1 January 1874), and it was granted, over the strong objection of Thomas Franklin Campbell, president of the Christian College at Monmouth, who hoped his institution would recieve the state charter. The Association continued to raise funds, finally resorting in October 1875 to accepting donations of grain (which was sold to Sam Friendly, a university supporter.

Opening of the University

On 26 July 1876, the State Board of Land Commissioners officially accepted the now-completed building. Immediately, the Board of Regents convened to adopt rules governing admissions, courses of study, the academic calendar, and the faculty. John Wesley Johnson was elected president, while Thomas Condon, Mark Bailey, and Mary Spiller were elected to the faculty. Classes started on 16 October 1876, and by the end of the first term, there were 177 students enrolled, 80 of whom were of college grade, and 97 in the preparatory department. Throughout the next several years, additional faculty members were appointed as funds became available. John Straub joined the university as a tutor in 1878, and was appointed Professor of Greek in 1880 (a position he would hold for 50 years). In 1879, Thomas Milton Gatch, an influential early Oregon educator, was elected Professor of English and George H. Collier was elected Professor of Physics. Collier (like all the other faculty members except Straub) had teaching experience in Oregon, at Willamette University and Pacific University.

In 1881, several past debts incurred by the Union University Association became due, and creditors eventually sued the University, leading to the proposed sale of the University building to pay the debts. Henry Villard, seeing news of the impending sale in the Portland Oregonian, wrote to Deady (president of the Regents), expressing his willingness to assume responsibility for the debt. At the time, Villard was one of the foremost financial leaders of the Northwest. Villard eventually paid $7,000 of the $8,181.89 that was due, the rest being covered by the Eugene citizens committee.

Expansion

Late in October 1881, Villard visited the University, and noted the poor conditions facing students and faculty. He gave the University $1,000 for library materials, $1,000 for scientific equipment, $1,250 for scholarships, and endowed a professorship in English literature. In 1883, these gifts were consolidated and expanded by the present of $50,000 in bonds of the Northern Pacific Railroad. It was specified that $400 of the income from the securities must be spent on new library books.

By 1885, the increased enrollment and the opportunity to appoint more faculty members led to overcrowding at the University. Only the one building had been completed, and the entire third floor was taken by an auditorium. The Oregon Legislature appropriated $30,000 for a new building, to be named Villard Hall, which would contain classrooms and an assembly hall. The new building opened in 1886. Additional buildings were completed in short order. The observatory (eventually torn down) was completed on Skinner Butte in 1889, the gymnasium in 1890, and the dormitory {Now Friendly Hall) in 1893.