Question re: Georgetown History

[StoneColdHoya]

Today's (Jan 23) Washington Post Express has, as the top item in its "Today in History" snippet, that Georgetown University was established on this day in 1789. Is that right? I know the year is right, but was it really Jan 23?

Thanks.

[DFW HOYA]

John Carroll acquired the deed on the land on Jan. 23, 1789. Strangely, Georgetown doesn't even really acknowledge the date in official circles.

The founding of the University was once placed as early as 1634 (when the first Jesuit school was founded in Maryland), and the University actually celebrated both a tricentennial in 1934 and an sesquicentennial in 1939.

The founding could have been cited as 1783 (when Carroll set up operations in Georgetown), 1788 (when Old South started construction), or 1791 (first student). But since 1789 matched the first year of the Washington presidency, it seemed a more fitting year.

[StoneColdHoya]

Thanks, DFW. Great information, as always.

One thing is slightly bothering me - what was going on with the school in the years after John Carroll started operations and before the first student arrived? Did he actually start the school in 1783 and just couldn't get anybody to come until 1791? Or was it that he sort of planted his flag in 1783, worked to get a school up and running for 8 years, and was finally ready for students in 1791?

[TrueHoyaBlue]

I know that one of the biggest issues that Carroll had was actually finding a president for Georgetown. The first president, Robert Plunkett, had to be heavily persuaded to take the job, and didn't last very long in it.

[SirSaxa]

Thank God!!
Otherwise, they'd have had to change the name of the restaurant!!

"1789 Restaurant takes its name from a significant year in Washington's history: In that year,
- its original site was purchased by Archbishop John Carroll, the founding father of Georgetown University;
- the Constitution of the United States was adopted;
- Mayor Robert Peter incorporated the village of Georgetown.

What about the French Revolution? I always thought that had a certain synchronicity.