The Story
We're at the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. This is the College of William & Mary. It was founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II. The college has educated American Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler. Even George Washington received his surveyor's license here and later became the college's first American chancellor in 1788.
William & Mary is notable for its many firsts. The F.H.C. Society, founded in 1750, was the first collegiate fraternity, and Phi Beta Kappa in 1776, was the first Greek-letter fraternity in the United States. The establishment of graduate programs in law and medicine in 1779 made it one of the first universities in the United States. The William & Mary Law School is the oldest and its Wren Building is the oldest academic building still standing. If you come here, know that you'll be following the same path as many of our founding fathers.
