Historical Facts

First Female Student

The first female students attended Georgetown University in 1880-1881 in the Medical Department, as our Medical School was then called.

Coeducation at Georgetown

Georgetown University became fully coeducational in 1969 with the admission of women into the College of Arts and Sciences.

1798 Essential Clothing

In 1798 Georgetown students were required to bring six shirts, six pair of stockings, six pocket-handkerchiefs, four cravats, four towels, one hat and three pairs of shoes with them to campus.

Library Use

Students were not allowed to use the Georgetown University Library until the mid-19th century because it was only for faculty, Jesuit scholars and senior students.

White House Burning

Georgetown students witnessed the burning of the White House by British troops from their dormitories during the War of 1812.

First Athletic Facility

The first athletic facility built on the Georgetown University campus was a handball court, at a cost of $800, in 1814.

Georgetown Football

The Georgetown football team played Mississippi State in the 1941 Orange Bowl.

Georgetown Baseball

Georgetown played its first intercollegiate baseball game on May 10, 1870 against Columbian College (today known as The George Washington University).

Georgetown Basketball

Georgetown's first intercollegiate men's basketball team was formed in 1907; the team played its first game February 9, 1907, defeating the University of Virginia by a score of 22-11.

Dahlgren Chapel

Dahlgren Chapel, the ninth building on campus, was dedicated in 1893 and was the first to be funded exclusively by outside gifts.

The Exorcist

Filming of The Exorcist, written by Georgetown alumnus William Peter Blatty (COL '50) took place on campus in October of 1972.

Bill Clinton's Lost Bid

U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton (SFS '68) was elected Freshman and Sophomore Class president, but lost his bid for student body president.

Hart Namesake

The U.S. Senate Hart Office Building was named for Senator Philip Hart, a 1934 Georgetown graduate.

Condé Nast

Condé Nast, an 1894 Georgetown graduate, founded Condé Nast Publications, which today publishes The New Yorker, Vogue, Vanity Fair and GQ.

First President of GU

Rev. Robert Plunkett was the first president of Georgetown, at that time the university was composed of elementary, preparatory, and college education.

Holy Cross

Unable to secure an educational charter from the Massachusetts legislature, the College of the Holy Cross conferred degrees under the authority of Georgetown University from 1843 to 1865.

First International Student

John St. Jours, Georgetown's first international student, arrived on campus from the West Indies on November 10, 1792.

Georgetown Official Colors

Georgetown adopted its official colors of blue and gray in 1876, symbolizing the union of the North and South following the Civil War.

Congressional Charter

On March 1, 1815, President James Madison signed a Congressional Charter to establish Georgetown as a degree-conferring college.

Georgetown Civil War

More than 1,000 Georgetown students and alumni served in the Civil War - by the end, 118 men had died.

George Washington Visit

In August 1797, U.S. President George Washington visited the campus and addressed students from the porch of Old North.

Abraham Lincoln Visit

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln visited campus in May 1861 to review the 1,400 Civil War troops stationed in temporary quarters on campus.

Original GU Seal

The original Georgetown University seal was financed by a gift in 1798 from Justane Douat, a nurse who cared for students on campus.

GU Seal Inscription

The Latin inscription surrounding the University seal is Collegium Georgiopolitanum Ad Ripas Potomaci in Marylandia, indicating Georgetown's original location on the Potomac River in Maryland.

First Student

William Gaston, Georgetown's first student, arrived on campus in late 1791, at the age of 13.

Start of Library

A gift of more than 100 volumes in 1796 from Georgetown's third president, Most Rev. Louis Guillaume Valentin DuBourg, S.S., marked the beginning of the Georgetown University Library.

John Carroll

John Carroll, S.J. (1735-1815), founder of Georgetown University, was the first Catholic bishop in America.