Mount Vernon Seminary And College
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The Mount Vernon Seminary and College was a private
women's college Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women. Some women's colleges admit male st ...
in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
It was purchased by
George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
in 1999, and became the Mount Vernon Campus of The George Washington University.


Founding of Mount Vernon Seminary and 204 F Street, NW

Mount Vernon College was founded in 1875, but its roots trace back to 1868, when Elizabeth J. Somers began tutoring the young daughters of prominent Washington men in her house at 204 F Street, NW in Washington, D.C. At the time, there were no schools for the education of girls in Washington, D.C. Her first three students were the daughters of Judge Dennis Cooley—Clara, Minnie and Mary. Their father, Judge Cooley, approached Mrs. Somers and asked her to teach his daughters in preparation for their attendance at
Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...
. When Mrs. Somers began teaching the Cooley girls, she began receiving similar requests to teach other children. Her small school grew. Seven years later, in 1875, Elizabeth Somers officially opened Mount Vernon Seminary, a day school for young ladies, that offered a six-year course of instruction, including four high school and two post high school, college years. The school was named after Mount Vernon Place Methodist Church in Baltimore, which was founded by Somers' brother, Thomas Eddy. The school included in its students the daughters of prominent men in Washington, including senators and congressmen. The school and students took full advantage of their Washington, D.C. location to further their education. Students reportedly visited the Volta Place laboratory of
Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (; born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born Canadian Americans, Canadian-American inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He als ...
, to test the newly invented telephone. Bell's daughters, Elsie Bell Grosvenor (class of 1897) and Marian Bell Fairchild (class of 1895) all attended Mount Vernon Seminary, as well as several of his granddaughters and nieces.


1100 M Street, NW: 1880–1917

The enrollment at the Seminary increased and within five years, the school had outgrown its F Street location. Mrs. Somers moved the school to a new location at 1100 M Street, NW. The school remained on M Street for 37 years. During those years, the school underwent a period of tremendous expansion. By 1882, Mrs. Somers had purchased three additional houses next to the original location. She built an enclosed courtyard to serve as a recess area, and a tennis and basketball court. Between 1890 and 1917, the student body counted more than 100 boarding students and 50 day students. By that time, the school had built a supportive alumnae base that returned to the school for alumnae events and reunions. The group became organized as th
Mount Vernon Alumnae Association
in 1885, and has been in existence continuously since. During this period, beginning in 1893, the final two years of the school were referred to as "the collegiate course", designed to prepare young women for entrance into four year colleges. By 1905, Mount Vernon Seminary graduates were being accepted into leading four year women's colleges. The school boasted a rigorous academic curriculum. In order to graduate, Seminary students had to complete the formal process of 'Senior Essays', in which they completed primary research and wrote on a current political or social topic. These essays were read at Commencement exercises and awards were granted for the best essays. Some of the topics included controversial subjects of the time such as
women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...
,
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, the effects of poverty on children, and
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. During this time, students came from all across the United States to attend Mount Vernon, as well as Hawaii, Japan, and Syria. In 1915, Mrs. Somers announced her retirement and Adelia Gates Hensley, a
Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...
graduate, became the second president of Mount Vernon Seminary. The school was outgrowing its M Street location and its enrollment continued to increase.


Nebraska Avenue Campus, 1917–1942

In 1917, the school moved to a campus located on Nebraska Avenue. Mrs. Somers, although retired, remained active in the operation of the school. She sold her M Street property to the
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, in keeping with her dedication to educating girls and young women.
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forced students to quickly become involved in war efforts such as organizing First Aid classes and rolling bandages for wounded soldiers. The Seminary was assigned a ward at Walter Reed Hospital and students made care packages for hospitalized soldiers. Of the 20 graduates in the class of 1920, eight continued their education at four year colleges including
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,
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,
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,
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, and
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. This was not common practice for women at the time, and testified to the solid education they received while at the Seminary. By 1923, graduates were attending
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,
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
,
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,
Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
,
Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...
,
Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...
and
The University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, near the shore of Lake Michigan about fr ...
. In 1923, Adelia Gates Hensley died, and one year later, Elizabeth Somers. Although Mrs. Somers was the founder of the school, Mrs. Hensley had seen the school through a period of tremendous growth, and is credited with substantially improving the faculty. She was replaced by Jean Dean Cole, a former Seminary student and
Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...
graduate. Under her leadership, the school established a Junior College as a separate unit. Mount Vernon Seminary and Junior College operated together, but with a clear distinction between the two—the four year preparatory school and the two year junior college section. Until that time, students had to study for a complete six years before receiving a diploma. In 1936, Jean Dean Cole resigned. Mr. George Lloyd became the fourth president of the college and his wife, Mrs. Olwen Lloyd became Headmistress in 1938. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, volunteer war work became a part of life at Mount Vernon, with students participating in air raid drills, nurses' aid training, and
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work. In 1942, the
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informed Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd that they planned to take over the Nebraska Avenue campus and use its facilities for the war effort; to be called the Naval Communications Annex for intelligence work. Students went home for Christmas break not knowing if their school would re-open after the holidays. The board of trustees began searching for a new location for the school. The Nebraska Avenue campus was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 2016.


Spring Valley, 1943–1946

In early 1943, the campus was relocated to the top floor of a Garfinckel's department store building in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Washington, D.C. All but nine students returned to the school which re-opened on February 1, 1943; This was a spread out campus located in the store and different homes that were purchased in the neighbourhood; 162 students had to be boarded out. While in Spring Valley, the school began examining its programs and realized that it was operating essentially two different schools, the Seminary and the junior college. This placed the school under a severe financial and administrative drain. The school considered closing one arm of the school but tabled the idea at the time. The school applied for accreditation and began awarding the Associates of Arts degree in 1944 to junior college graduates.


Foxhall Road 1946–1999

In 1944, Mount Vernon was granted compensation of $1.038  million from the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
for the military takeover of its property. Originally $800,000 had been offered, a fraction of what the buildings and grounds were worth. The school then purchased of property for a new campus located on Foxhall Road in Washington, D.C. An academic building, four dormitories and a dining room were built, and other buildings gradually added. During the 1960s, the junior college developed new majors in an effort to place emphasis on those subjects which fit well with the capital city, such as those in government and politics, international relations and fine arts. The interior design program in the Junior College was also enhanced; the school phased out its vocational programs such as home economics and secretarial studies to develop its higher education curriculum. During the same period, the Seminary remained one of the most academically rigorous private secondary institutions in the nation and drew record numbers of students from around the country, graduating the largest classes in the Seminary's history. However, deciding that it was financially impossible to run two separate institutions, the board of trustees chose in 1965 to close its historic, respected Seminary to build up its collegiate program. The last Seminary class was graduated in 1969. The school was then officially renamed Mount Vernon Junior College. Mount Vernon was dedicated to remaining a women's college but faced significant financial struggles due to declining enrollments; the opening of previously all-male institutions to coeducation negatively impacted Mount Vernon and all women's institutions during that era. By 1973, in order to meet the contemporary needs of women, the school began awarding the Bachelor of Arts degree, first in Public Affairs and Government followed by Business Administration, Childhood and Special Education and the Visual Arts. In a move to seek additional revenue, the college began a continuing education program. In 1976, Mount Vernon College became an accredited four year college.


Recent History, 1999–present

In 1997, the board of trustees decided that the college would close as an independent institution. As of June 30, 1999, Mount Vernon became affiliated with
George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
(also called GW for short). The school is now known as The George Washington University – Mount Vernon Campus. The Elizabeth J. Somers Women's Leadership Program was founded in honor of the Mount Vernon Seminary and College and its alumnae. Once Mount Vernon was purchased by GW, it became co-ed, and students of both genders were welcomed on campus for classes, and social and athletic events, but only women lived on campus through Spring 2001. After the college's first two years as part of GW, students also began living on the Mount Vernon campus, however, the Mount Vernon campus continued to offer some housing and programs specifically for women, in honor of the college's origins. GW constructed new athletic fields, dormitories, and other facilities to support the growth of the Mount Vernon campus. There is a free shuttle available to travel between the Mount Vernon and Foggy Bottom campuses of GW.


Notable alumnae

''See also :Mount Vernon Seminary and College alumni'' * Khadija al-Salami, first Yemeni female film producer * Barbara Allen, former Kansas State Senator * Nazenin Ansari, Managing Editor of Kayhan London, Trustee of the Foreign Press Association in London, Member of the Board of Directors
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* Audrey Jones Beck, philanthropist, Houston, TX * Susan Elizabeth Ford, daughter of late President
Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...
, author, chairman of the board of
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. *
Marjorie Merriweather Post Marjorie Merriweather Post (March 15, 1887 – September 12, 1973) was an American businesswoman, socialite, and philanthropist. She was the daughter of C. W. Post and the owner of General Foods, General Foods Corporation. For much of Post's l ...
, socialite and owner of
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. Post Hall and Merriweather Hall are named in her honor. * Charlsie Cantey,
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sportscaster *
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, actor (
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after first year) *
Ada Comstock Ada Louise Comstock (December 11, 1876 – December 12, 1973) was an American women's education pioneer. She served as the first dean of women at the University of Minnesota and later as the first full-time president of Radcliffe College. Early ...
, first president of
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* Frances Dodge, internationally known horsewoman and motor company heiress * Eleanor Lansing Dulles, PhD
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, U.S. State Department, educator. * Dorothy Fratt, painter. * Anne Hearst,
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and
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heiress * Philippa Malmgren, former National Economic Council member *
Evalyn Walsh McLean Evalyn McLean ( Walsh; August 1, 1886 – April 26, 1947) was an American mining heiress and socialite, famous for reputedly being an owner of the Hope Diamond (which was bought in 1911 for US$180,000 from Pierre Cartier), as well as another f ...
, heiress to mining fortune, socialite *
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, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (Acting)br>
(2018), Spokesperson for the United States Department of State

(2017–2019);
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news anchor and co-host * Sally Nevius, ex President of Mt. Vernon College, Co-Founder of the
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. * Barbara Ingalls Shook, heiress and philanthropist. *
Ginni Thomas Virginia "Ginni" Thomas ( Lamp; born February 23, 1957) is an American lawyer and conservative activist. In 1987, she married Clarence Thomas, who became an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in 1991. Her conservative co ...
, conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice
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(transferred to the
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after one year) * Frances Nash Watson, pianist.


See also

* List of current and historical women's universities and colleges


Citations


References

* *


External links


Mount Vernon Seminary and College Finding Aids
Special Collections Research Center, Estelle and Melvin Gelman Library, The George Washington University
GWU page on the campusA timeline of the college
{{Colleges and universities in the District of Columbia Defunct private universities and colleges in Washington, D.C. George Washington University Universities and colleges established in 1875 1875 establishments in Washington, D.C. University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.