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HOWARD UNIVERSITY.
A history of the Medical Department
of Howard University should properly be
preceded by some account of the Univer
sity itself. General Howard kindly con
sented to write a short history of its
foundation. It was written at one of the
saddest periods of his life, namely, soon
after his son, Col. Guy Howard, had lost
his life in our war with the Filipinos.
All who have ever been connected with
the University sympathized deeply with
the bereaved father.
November 1o, 1899,
wrote to the
editor as follows :
My Dear Doctor: Having all along
been first too much overwhelmed with
the loss of my son, Col. Guy Howard, and
later with the duties of Managing Director
of Lincoln Memorial University, Cumber
land Gap, Tenn., I have not been able to
study up the records of Howard Univer
sity in such way as to be accurate in any
thing. It appears to me that I attended
the first meeting of the promoters of the
University enterprise, held at Mr. Brew
ster’s house.
I remember distinctly several of the
group. These are some of them : Rev.
Charles B. Boynton, D. D. ; Senator S. C.
Pomeroy, Senator Henry Wilson, Hon.
Burton C. Cooke, Member of the House of
Representatives; Messrs. Brewster, Nich
ols, Cushman, Barber (the doctor), Morris,
Balloch, Loomis, and several others, made
Mr. Brewster’s parlor quite full. After
hearing the statements made by different
gentlemen with regard to an institution
which should be connected, more or less,
with our new Congregational work in
Washington, I remarked something to
this effect, “ I have been thinking of some
institution of a more general character
and one of a higher grade, or, perhaps I
had better say, of a broader scope ; but I
had not thought the time had yet arrived
for the children of the freedmen when it
would be wise to start such an institution.
However, as I see here so much interest
and a determination to make a beginning,
I favor a college or university having two
or three departments. Perhaps, too, I may
be able to help you financially, as I am
helping societies, associations and church
organizations in their school work.”
My statements gave great satisfaction
and hope to the entire group. Little by
little our organization was completed,
first as a voluntary society, then as. a
corporate body.
You have a history
already
of the steps that were taken.
At first, we hired a building, or rather
I did it myself, as commissioner. This
building was used for the first school.
It was an old dance house, situated on
the east side of the Seventh Street road,
a little beyond the boundary. The build
ing and lot were afterward purchased,
and, I think when its use was no longer
demanded, sold, and the money used to
keep good the fund from which it had
been originally obtained. Soon after this
the original proprietor of this property,
Mr. John A. Smith, sold us the land,
on which the University buildings now
stand, 150 acres, for $147,500.
General Whittlesey and myself were
sent out by the Board of Trustees as
agents to find and secure, if possible, a
site for Howard University, a task at that
time not easy to be performed. We went
to several places where we thought we
might have a reasonable success, but were
uniformly answered, that a negro school
would spoil the property round about and
was not to be thought of.
At last we