Biography

In 1825, the Louisiana State Legislature established the College of Louisiana at Jackson, Louisiana, and granted a charter to the college’s trustees. The original trustees of the college included the Louisiana governor, Louisiana Supreme Court judges, and twenty-eight people named by the legislature. The board of trustees included a board president, secretary, and treasurer. Much of the college’s business was handled by trustee committees. The trustees were responsible for appointing the college’s president, faculty, and staff; overseeing student discipline; and delivering an annual report to the Louisiana State Legislature. Each year, the trustees held two regular meetings as well as occasional called meetings.

In January 1826, classes began at the College of Louisiana and were initially held in the parish courthouse building. The college constructed dormitory buildings in 1833 and 1837.

The courses offered by the college occasionally changed. In 1829, the college’s bylaws were revised to list the following courses: English, French, Spanish, Latin, Greek, mathematics, natural philosophy, chemistry, natural history, geography, moral and political philosophy, ancient and modern history, logic, and rhetoric. In addition to offering college-level courses, the institution also operated a preparatory department for lower grades.

By 1845, the trustees faced mounting financial problems and low student enrollment. That year, the trustees approved dissolving the board and surrendering the college’s charter to the Louisiana State Legislature. In June 1845, the legislature sold the college’s property and buildings to Judge Edward McGehee, who donated it to the Mississippi Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South for the new location of Centenary College, formerly located at Brandon Springs, Mississippi.

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