1865-1899
Healy Hall Stereocard, ca. 1880
Black crape is hung on the porches of North and South Buildings and over the main gate on April 15, after news of the assassination of President Lincoln reaches campus. Three Georgetown alumni, David Herold, Samuel Arnold and Samuel Mudd are convicted in the assassination conspiracy. Herold is hanged
Philosophy professor, John Guida, S.J. is mistaken for John Wilkes Booth and arrested in the aftermath of President Lincoln’s assassination. He is held in a military camp in Virginia until the real John Wilkes Booth is located
338 students enroll at the beginning of the fall semester, including 75 in the Medical Department
Students play the first informal baseball games
Bernard Maguire, S.J. becomes president for the second time
New roof is put on the North Building and its towers are remodeled and built up an additional 30 feet
Patrick F. Healy, S.J., arrives on campus
Numerical grading system is introduced
Stone wall along the eastern edge of campus is completed. Its construction is prompted by rising rates of vagrancy and theft caused by the failing post-Civil War economy
Alumni gather for their first reunion which is organized by the Philodemic Society
Patrick F. Healy, S.J. becomes Prefect of Studies (Dean of the College)
Admission requirements are reworked so that students have to be at least twelve years old to enroll
John Early, S.J. becomes president for the second time
Georgetown’s second professional school, the Law Department, opens. It is the first law school created by a Jesuit institution of higher learning in the United States. Classes begin in October with 25 students who come from twelve states and from Cuba
A professor of pharmacy is appointed with the aim of developing a Pharmacy School. However, there is very little demand for his classes and the program disappears by 1873
Law Department holds is first commencement, June 4
Georgetown College Journal, our first printed student newspaper, begins in December
Patrick F. Healy, S.J. becomes acting president on May 22
Chemistry classes are introduced for the sophomore and junior classes
The "acting" portion of Patrick F. Healy, S.J.’s presidential title is dropped on July 31. During his tenure, he expands the curriculum and brings the professional departments (Law and Medicine), housed off-campus, more firmly under the control of the University. He also transforms campus by constructing a large new building, later named for him, which more than doubles the total square footage of Georgetown's buildings
Department of English Literature and Declamation is established
Athletic Association is formed. Under its auspices, Georgetown holds its first annual Field Day. Events include hurdles, vaulting and a tug-of-war between classes
Georgetown University Boat Club is founded in March
Blue and gray are selected as the colors for the Boat Club on May 15
Construction begins on Healy Hall, originally known as the “New Building” and later designated as the “Main Building”
Boat Club builds its own boat house. This is destroyed in a flood four years later
Roster of Georgetown students who have attended since 1812 is compiled, organized geographically by place their place of origin. Although far from complete, it lists almost 250 international students, including 71 from the West Indies (mainly from Cuba), 44 from Mexico, 32 from Canada, and 27 from England and Ireland
Georgetown awards its first bachelor of science degree
Commencement is held in the unfinished Healy Hall, June 26. President Rutherford Hayes attends
Annie Rice and Jeannette Sumner enroll in the Medical School. They stay for one year
Medical School enacts rules which specify No other than white male students shall be admitted to this school
Healy Hall opens
Society of Alumni hold their first Reunion to coincide with commencement
The University has, by this point, spent over $437,000 on the construction of Healy Hall. Father Healy was told by the Superior General of the Jesuit Order in 1877 that costs were not to exceed $100,000
James A. Doonan, S.J. succeeds Patrick Healy as president
College switches to the municipal water supply and ceases relying on the pump in the Quadrangle as its water source
J. Havens Richards, S.J., becomes President on August 5
The two canons which now stand outside Healy Hall arrive on campus
Georgetown celebrates its Centennial, February 20-22
Georgetown plays and wins its first intercollegiate football game against the University of Virginia. The score is 34-0
Twelve-inch equatorial telescope is purchased for the Observatory
Riggs Memorial Library, located in the south tower of Healy Hall, opens. It serves as the main University Library until 1970. The Library is financed by E. Francis Riggs of the Washington banking firm, as a memorial to his late father and to his brother who had attended Georgetown. Previously, the College library had been in Old North
Law School moves to its fifth home at 6th and E Streets, N.W., where it remains until 1971 when the Law Center opens on New Jersey Avenue
Formal graduate studies, with a year-long concentration of study in three of six fields (philosophy, history, literature, mathematics, physics and chemistry) are introduced
Senior class petition to be able to wear cap and gown at commencement. Permission is granted three years later
Tuition and board is raised to $325. It has been set at $300 since 1879
Boxing club is formed in October
Dahlgren Chapel is consecrated on June 9. It is the first building on campus financed entirely by outside philanthropy and the first named for a non-Jesuit. It is paid for by John Dahlgren, who had graduated in 1889, and his wife Elizabeth Drexel Dahlgren. Elizabeth takes a close interest in plans for the Chapel’s design and even specifies what kind of ivy should be planted to grow on its exterior
Mandolin and banjo club begins
Medical School increases its course of studies from three to four years. This move comes two years ahead of an official mandate from the Association of Medical Colleges for four year courses
Conde M. Nast graduates from the College of Arts and Science
Robert Collier writes the words to what becomes Georgetown’s Alma Mater, “Sons of Georgetown”
Admission age is raised to 13
Round version of the Georgetown seal, in use since around 1889, is officially adopted by the Board of Directors on April 16. Its design elements are more tightly grouped, with much of the previous detail omitted. Somewhat at odds with this simplification is the rendering of the school’s name in Latin rather than English
Captain of the Georgetown football team, George Bahen, is paralyzed during the Thanksgiving game against the Columbia Athletic Club (C.A.C.). The playing of football is suspended
New cinder track is installed for athletes to race on
Day security force for campus is set up in addition to the night watchman
George Bahen dies from his injuries on March 26. He is buried in his home town of Richmond, Virginia
Georgetown joins the Intercollegiate Tennis Association
Graduate studies are extended to include a doctorate program
Students are able to leave the dining hall when they are finished eating, instead of having to wait to process out with their classmates as has traditionally been the practice
Temporary gym including a batting cage and running track is set up in the basement of Healy Hall after the University’s attempts to raise money for a permanent gymnasium are unsuccessful
First section of the Georgetown University Hospital on N Street is completed in May and opens to the public in August. It includes beds for 29 patients, a lecture room, and an emergency operating room
John D. Whitney becomes president on July 3
Law School expands the course work for the Bachelor of Laws degree from two to three years, a change made well ahead of most law schools in the country
Varsity football restarts
