UO History By Paul Stieber

Five generations of leaders and citizens have studied at the University of Oregon, which opened in 1876 and celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2001-2002. Founded seventeen years after Oregon became a state, the University of Oregon has grown from 155 students to an enrollment of more than 17,000 degree candidates, including undergraduates and graduate students in eight colleges and professional schools. More than 3,500 people work at the university, including 1,400 faculty. It is Lane County's largest employer.

Seven Oregon governors -- Julius L. Meier ’95, Paul L. Patterson ’23, Robert Holmes ’32, Tom McCall ’36, Victor Atiyeh ’45, Neil Goldschmidt ’63, and John Kitzhaber M.D. ’73 -- are Oregon alumni. Oregon also counts two Nobel laureates and nine Pulitzer Prize winners among its graduates.

The University of Oregon was established by an act of the state legislature on October 12, 1872, though its founding hadn't come easily. Neither has its survival. The citizens of thinly populated Eugene and Lane County fought to locate the university and struggled to finance it. People gave money, held strawberry festivals and church socials, and sold produce. Even children helped by donating pennies. In addition to making personal contributions, the faculty took a 25-percent salary reduction in the early years. Things were desperate by 1881 when Henry Villard, Northern Pacific Railroad magnate and the university's first benefactor, prevented the closure of the university by paying $7,000 of its $8,181.89 indebtedness.

On October 16, 1876, the doors of Deady Hall opened to 155 students and five faculty members. William Scott was the first student to register at the university. John Wesley Johnson (1876-1893) served as the first president and also professor of Greek and Latin.

During its early years the university offered a classical education patterned on the traditions of Harvard and Yale. Students took Latin, Greek, mathematics, philosophy, and science, but with growth the demand for a broad curriculum was met by the addition of more scientific and professional courses. Members of the first graduating class in June 1878 were Robert S. Bean, Nellie Condon, Matthew S. Wallis, George S. Washburne, and John C. Whiteaker.