George T. Winston’s presidency of the University, 1890–1896

In the chronology

Events in this storyline, in date order. See these 13 dated events in the chronology →

1. June 1890 Alumni pledge an endowment for a chair of history At the 1890 commencement banquet, alumni answered a call to endow a chair of history: Julian S. Carr pledged $10,000 and Judge James Grant offered to make up the balance. Battle then visited alumni in the larger towns to complete the fund. People: Julian S. Carr, Robert W. Winston, Albert R. LedouxSearch the index · Documenting the American South: Kemp P. Battle, History of the University of North Carolina, vol. II (1912), p. 448
2. 1891–1896 George Tayloe Winston serves as president of the university Elected president when Kemp Plummer Battle resigned in 1891, Winston led the university for five years, during which enrollment tripled to almost six hundred. In 1896 he left Chapel Hill to become the first president of the University of Texas. People: Kemp Plummer BattleSearch the index · UNC Libraries: George Tayloe Winston Papers, 1862-1969
3. February 11, 1891 Kemp Battle resigns the presidency to take the new chair of history Battle told the trustees in February 1891 that he would leave the presidency at the end of the session after fifteen years, and he became professor of history in the newly endowed chair. The trustees adopted resolutions of thanks. People: Kemp Plummer BattleSearch the index · Documenting the American South: Kemp P. Battle, History of the University of North Carolina, vol. II (1912), p. 459 · Also: The Chapel Hillian, February 21, 1891, p. 1
4. early June 1891 University trustees elect George T. Winston to succeed President Battle At a well attended meeting at Chapel Hill the trustees chose Prof. George Tayloe Winston president of the university. He took the place of Kemp P. Battle, who had resigned to take the chair of history. People: Kemp Plummer BattleSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), June 13, 1891, p. 2
5. September 3, 1891 The University opens its fall term with President Winston's first address to the students The University of North Carolina opened on Thursday, September 3, with a flattering turnout and more than 100 freshmen among those registered. President George T. Winston spoke to the students in Memorial Hall about the changes and new rules.Search the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), September 12, 1891, p. 2
6. October 14, 1891 George T. Winston is inaugurated as president of the University of North Carolina Winston is installed at a public inauguration at Chapel Hill. Col. Thomas S. Kenan of the Alumni Association presides because the governor is detained, the president of Wake Forest opens with prayer, and Johns Hopkins president Gilman and editor Walter Page give addresses. The retiring president, Kemp P. Battle, briefly reviews the university's history. People: Kemp Plummer BattleSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), October 24, 1891, p. 2
7. 1892 The faculty delays fraternity membership to end a campus feud After non-fraternity students threatened to take their grievances to the trustees and the legislature, President Winston and a faculty committee ruled that no student could join a fraternity until a year after matriculation. In 1896 the trustees set October of the sophomore year and forbade pledging in advance. People: George Tayloe WinstonSearch the index · Documenting the American South: Kemp P. Battle, History of the University of North Carolina, vol. II (1912), p. 470
8. 1893 The legislature rejects a bill to strip the university of undergraduates A bill drafted by Davidson College president Shearer would have abolished the university's four undergraduate classes over ten years. After a joint committee hearing at which President Winston defended the university, the General Assembly of 1893 instead voted it $10,000 for repairs. People: George Tayloe WinstonSearch the index · Documenting the American South: Kemp P. Battle, History of the University of North Carolina, vol. II (1912), p. 479
9. 1895 President Winston ends support and the University Magazine stops In 1895 President George T. Winston decided the university was not getting enough for its subscription, and the University Magazine stopped publishing until it was revived a few years later. People: George Tayloe WinstonSearch the index · Documenting the American South: Kemp P. Battle, History of the University of North Carolina, vol. II (1912), p. 739
10. March 1895 President Winston turns back a legislative effort to cut the university's funding Two years after the move to confine the university to graduate study failed, church-college allies in the 1895 General Assembly tried to shrink its state appropriation; Winston rallied alumni legislators and prevailed after Populist leader Marion Butler came out for the university. Students met him at the west gate on his return and escorted his hired coach and four to a bonfire and celebration at Gerrard Hall. People: Marion ButlerSearch the index · Howard E. Covington Jr., Fire and Stone: The Making of the University of North Carolina under Presidents Edward Kidder Graham and Harry Woodburn Chase (2018), p. 18
11. March 1895 University enrollment reaches 403, passing the antebellum record President George T. Winston reported to the trustees that the university's roll held 403 students in its centennial year, two more than its largest enrollment before the Civil War, drawn from 72 North Carolina counties and a dozen states. People: George Tayloe WinstonSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), March 23, 1895, p. 2
12. by May 16, 1896 The university's 1896 catalogue counts 534 students The university's catalogue for 1896 listed 534 students: 333 in the college, 58 in law, 30 in medicine and 140 in the summer school for teachers, taught by 38 professors and instructors in 108 courses across fourteen departments. People: George Tayloe WinstonSearch the index · Orange County Observer (Hillsborough), May 16, 1896, p. 2