Brigham Young University history

Hence, October 16, 1875, is commonly held as BYU's founding date.

Dusenberry served as interim principal for several months until April 1876, when Brigham Young's choice for principal arrived—a German immigrant named Karl Maeser.

The Mormon leader's death in 1877 reduced the endowment and forced the school to look to its local constituency for funds to supplement tuition.

Brigham Young Academy was housed in Lewis Hall, in downtown Provo, until fire destroyed the converted mercantile building in 1884.

It was published for five months starting in 1891.

Benjamin Cluff, Jr., put more emphasis on collegiate work, particularly teacher training, and the Normal College awarded its first degree (Bachelor of Pedagogy) in 1897.

Three principals led the academy before it was renamed Brigham Young University in 1903.

Other structures were added on this block before the Maeser Building was built in 1911 on Temple Hill, where the BYU campus subsequently developed.

Early student publications were generally established as journals, with the White and Blue making the transition to a newspaper format in the fall of 1920.

In 1921, Franklin S. Harris was appointed as BYU's president and was the first in this role to have a doctoral degree.

In 1937, President Franklin S. Harris authorized a committee to compile a history of the university.

In 1975 Brigham Young University celebrated one hundred years of existence.

Disclaimer: Information on this site was converted from a hard cover book published by University of Utah Press in 1994.