72-584: University Chapel (formerly Lee Chapel ) of Washington and Lee University is a National Historic Landmark in Lexington, Virginia . It was constructed during 1867–68 at the request of Robert E. Lee , who was president of the school (then known as Washington College), and after whom the university is, in part, named. The Victorian brick architectural design was probably the work of Lee's son, George Washington Custis Lee , with details contributed by Col. Thomas Williamson, an architect and professor of engineering at
144-511: A 1962 graduate who is vice chairman of the $ 600 billion Franklin Templeton investment management firm, gave $ 100 million to Washington and Lee in June 2007, establishing a merit-based financial aid and curriculum-enrichment program. In 2014, a large Confederate battle flag and a number of related state flags were removed from University Chapel , after a group of black students protested that
216-638: A U.S. senator from Virginia, and filling in for the absent Jefferson Davis, said of Robert E. Lee's decision to lead the armed forces of Virginia at the outset of the Civil War, "Since the Son of Man stood upon the Mount, and saw 'all the kingdoms of the earth and the glory thereof' stretched before him, and turned away from them to the agony and bloody sweat of Gethsemane, and to the Cross of Calvary beyond, no follower of
288-520: A co-ed institution. The School of Law enrolled its first women in 1972 and the undergraduate program enrolled its first woman in 1985. Washington and Lee built new buildings to house its science departments as well as a new School of Law facility. Further, W&L successfully completed several multimillion-dollar capital campaigns. Among many alumni who have followed in George Washington's footsteps by donating generously, Rupert Johnson Jr. ,
360-562: A huge barrel of whiskey, which he intended for the dignitaries in attendance. But according to a contemporary history, the rabble broke through the barriers and created pandemonium, which ended only when college officials demolished the whiskey barrel with an axe. A justice of the Virginia State Supreme Court, Alex. M. Harman, Jr. ('44 Law), re-created the episode in 1976 for the dedication of the new law school building by having several barrels of Scotch imported (without
432-402: A list of rules that define punishable behavior—beyond the traditional guide of the offenses lying, cheating or stealing. Exams at W&L are ordinarily unproctored and self-scheduled. It is not unusual for professors to assign take-home, closed-book finals with an explicit trust in their students not to cheat. The honor system is strongly enforced. In most years, only a few students withdraw in
504-606: A portrait of Washington by Charles Willson Peale from the Washington family collections, and another of Lee in his uniform, painted by Edward Pine, in order to reflect the time periods of the association of each university namesake with the school. There is also a plaque given by the Sigma Society on one of the walls that honors two Sigma alumni from the classes of 1912 and 1915 who lost their lives in World War I. In
576-486: A prisoner on parole, his American citizenship never fully restored: "The country which gave the right of suffrage to the alien ere he could speak its language, and to the African freedman ere he could read or understand its laws, denied to him the privilege of a ballot ... himself and his Commander-in-Chief [Davis] constituting the most conspicuous of its political slaves." Washington and Lee History Professor Ted DeLaney, who
648-503: A small, three-sided balcony. First-year students have assembled there to hear the president of the University's student-run Executive Committee speak on the school's Honor System . Important school-wide lectures, concerts, and other notable activities are held there from time to time. For many years the school's annual convocation of Omicron Delta Kappa , or ODK, a national honor society founded at Washington and Lee on December 3, 1914,
720-699: A valuable source of information on day-to-day life at Arlington House during his youth, and includes many items of interest regarding his father's entire life. Robert E. Lee Jr. died in 1914. He was interred with his parents and siblings in the college chapel, now known as University Chapel in Lexington, Virginia , where his father and brother Custis each had served as a president of the college now known as Washington and Lee University . Robert Lee married twice. On November 16, 1871, he married Charlotte Haxall (October 23, 1848 – September 22, 1872). No children survived her. On March 8, 1894, in Washington D.C., he married Juliet Case (April 6, 1860 – November 17, 1915), who
792-411: A wrong selection. The Washington Post declared Washington and Lee's Mock Convention "one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious mock conventions." The school also hosts an annual Fancy Dress Ball, a 117-year-old formal black-tie event started in 1907. It is put on by a committee of students appointed by the executive committee. The committee is responsible each year to create a theme and handle
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#1732776186058864-632: Is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools . Washington and Lee University serves as the host for the Virginia Governor's School for Foreign Language as part of the annual Summer Residential Governor's Schools. The institution has 1829 students as of 2019 . The median family income is $ 261,100, with 55% of students coming from the top 5% highest-earning families, 8% from
936-824: Is among the oldest institutions of higher learning in the US . Washington and Lee's 325-acre campus sits at the edge of Lexington and abuts the campus of the Virginia Military Institute in the Shenandoah Valley region between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Allegheny Mountains . The institution consists of three academic units: the college itself; the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics; and
1008-432: Is an unusual three-term system with 13-week fall and winter terms followed by a four-week spring term. The spring-term courses include topical, often unique, seminars, faculty-supervised study abroad, and some domestic and international internships. The law calendar consists of the more traditional early semester system. Washington and Lee maintains a rigorous honor system that dates from the 1840s. Students, upon entering
1080-486: Is believed to be the first black student to enroll in higher education in the United States, although he did not receive a degree. Washington and Lee enrolled its next African American student in 1966 in the law school. In 1796, George Washington endowed the academy with $ 20,000 in the form of 100 shares of James River Canal stock, at the time one of the largest gifts ever given to an educational institution in
1152-516: Is buried just outside the Chapel, where many visitors leave coins, apples, and other tributes. In the basement of the Chapel is a museum that illuminates the history of the families of George Washington and Robert E. Lee as well as that of the university itself. Lee's office has been meticulously preserved almost exactly as it was when he died. The Chapel plays a role in the modern operation of Washington and Lee. It seats about 600 in its main area and in
1224-523: Is by sculptor Edward Valentine whose statue of Lee , formerly displayed as one of Virginia 's representatives in National Statuary Hall , was removed from the U.S. Capitol , and whose statues of Jefferson Davis were removed from Richmond, Virginia 's Monument Avenue and New Orleans . The recumbent statue was unveiled and dedicated as the main feature of the chapel on June 28, 1883. The keynote speaker, John W. Daniel , soon to be
1296-512: Is one of the loveliest spots in the world." Jonathan W. Daniels , North Carolina author, newspaper editor and White House Press Secretary to President Franklin D. Roosevelt , wrote that it was "the South at its most beautiful: the green sloping campus to the red-brick buildings with the tall white porticoes....I wish it were the picture of the South. I wish, indeed, it were the picture of America." Washington and Lee History Professor Ted DeLaney, who
1368-577: Is rarely exercised. If found guilty at an open trial, the student is dismissed permanently. Separately from the student-run honor system, the Student Judicial Council and the Student-Faculty Hearing Board hear allegations of student misconduct. In the 2022 U.S. News & World Report rankings, the undergraduate college is 11th among national liberal arts colleges and 9th among Best Value Schools, and
1440-615: Is said to have admitted its first African American student when John Chavis , a free black , enrolled in 1795. Chavis accomplished much in his life including fighting in the American Revolution , studying at both Liberty Hall and the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University ), becoming an ordained Presbyterian minister, and opening a school that instructed white and poor black students in North Carolina . He
1512-1005: Is taught by a faculty member. The libraries contain more than 700,000 volumes as well as a vast electronic network. The law library has an additional 400,000 volumes as well as extensive electronic resources. Washington and Lee offers 40 undergraduate majors (including interdisciplinary majors in neuroscience , Medieval and Renaissance studies, and Russian area studies ) and 30 minors, including interdisciplinary programs in Africana studies , East Asian studies , Education and Education policy , environmental studies , Latin American & Caribbean studies , Middle East and South Asian studies, poverty and human capability studies (Shepherd Program), and women's , gender , and sexuality studies. Its most popular undergraduate majors, based on 2021 graduates, were: Though Washington and Lee has refused since 2003 to submit data to The Princeton Review ,
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#17327761860581584-723: The Cadaver Society , the Sigma Society , and the Mongolian Minks. Greek letter organizations play a major role in Washington and Lee's social scene. A significant percentage of the student population participate and affiliate in Greek organizations on campus. The following is a list of active, recognized fraternities and sororities. Alpha Phi Alpha , a historically African American fraternity, also maintains an active chapter on campus. Robert E. Lee Jr. Robert Edward Lee Jr. (October 27, 1843 – October 19, 1914)
1656-659: The Confederate Army . To his mother's dismay, Rob joined them in 1862, enlisting in the Rockbridge Artillery as a private. During the Battle of Sharpsburg in September 1862, young Robert watched his father ride up to his artillery battery, which had already been heavily engaged. Junior stood by expecting to hear a few words of affection from his father, but Lee did not recognize his own son, hidden by
1728-674: The School of Law . It hosts 24 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams which compete as part of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA Division III ). The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 by Scots-Irish Presbyterian pioneers and soon named Augusta Academy, about 20 miles (32 km) north of its present location. In 1776, it
1800-865: The 1850s, while his father, a career U.S. Army officer, was serving in the Mexican–American War and as Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York . Unlike his father and two older brothers, Rob apparently never envisioned a military career, never serving in the United States Army. In 1860, he enrolled at the University of Virginia . When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, his father and his two older brothers, Custis and Rooney , all chose to serve Virginia in
1872-467: The 2006 edition of The Best 357 Colleges ranked W&L highly for "Best Overall Academic Experience", "Professors Get High Marks", and "Professor Accessibility". In the 2007 edition, Washington and Lee was ranked fourth in "Professors Get High Marks" and sixth in "Professor Accessibility". Combining academics with an active social culture, Washington and Lee ranked 14th in "Best Overall Academic Experience for Undergraduates". Washington and Lee University
1944-717: The Civil War. After the war, Lee lived and farmed Romancoke Plantation on the north bank of the Pamunkey River in King William County , which he inherited from his maternal grandfather George Washington Parke Custis . Romancoke was located approximately four miles from the Town of West Point . Lee also became a writer, gathering his memories of his family and life in Recollections and Letters of General Robert E. Lee (1904). The first-hand account provides
2016-620: The Colonnade due to its support of the statue of George Washington, Old George. In the Fall of 1865, Robert E. Lee , the former general of the Confederacy, accepted an offer to become president of Washington College. Despite suffering financial hardship at the time and having offers for several business opportunities, he said he chose to become the college president because he wanted to train "young men to do their duty". (Lee believed that
2088-664: The Generals baseball team won the ODAC championship. Athletic exclusion was manifest in the early 20th century, when the school forced Rutgers to sit out star African American football player Paul Robeson for a 1916 football game and later forfeited a 1923 game when Washington and Jefferson refused to comply with a similar demand. Every four years, the school sponsors the Washington and Lee Mock Convention for whichever political party ( Democratic or Republican ) does not hold
2160-632: The School of Law. In 1995, Ernest Williams II of the Class of 1938 endowed the School of Commerce which was renamed the Ernest Williams II School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics. Also in 1905, Andrew Carnegie donated $ 55,000 to the Washington and Lee for the erection of a new library . Omicron Delta Kappa or ODK, a national honor society, was founded at Washington and Lee on December 3, 1914. For many years ODK's annual convocation
2232-572: The United States. The shares were originally a gift given to Washington by the Virginia General Assembly . Washington's gift continues to provide nearly $ 1.87 a year toward every student's tuition. The gift rescued Liberty Hall from near-certain insolvency. In gratitude, the trustees changed the school's name to Washington Academy; in 1813 it was chartered as Washington College. An 8-foot-tall (2.4 m) statue of George Washington, carved by Matthew Kahle and known as Old George ,
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2304-526: The University Registrar. A formal assessment of the honor system's "White Book", occasionally including referendums, is held every three years to review the tenets of the honor system. Overwhelmingly, students continue to support the honor system and its single sanction, and they and alumni point to the honor system as one of the distinctive marks they carry with them from their W&L experience. Washington and Lee's honor system does not have
2376-574: The association with Lee. In July 2020, for the first time, faculty (by more than a three-quarters vote) and the executive committee of the Student Body called for Robert E. Lee's name to be removed from the name of the institution. The board of trustees announced the formation of a committee to consider name-change, removing portraits of Lee from diplomas, and how names and symbols of Lee and confederates "uphold slavery" and "abhorrent racist sentiment." On June 4, 2021, after 11 months of deliberation,
2448-479: The basement a crypt (added after Lee's burial) contains the remains of much of Lee's direct family: Lee himself, his wife Mary Anna Custis Lee , his seven children— George Washington Custis Lee , Mary Custis Lee , William Henry Fitzhugh Lee , Anne Carter Lee , Robert E. Lee Jr. , Eleanor Agnes Lee , and Mildred Childe Lee , and his parents— Revolutionary War Major-General Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee , and Anne Hill Carter Lee . Lee's favorite horse, Traveller ,
2520-467: The board voted 22–6 to keep the name. The central core of the campus, including the row of brick buildings that form the Colonnade, are a designated National Historic Landmark District for their architecture. The University Chapel , separately designated a National Historic Landmark, is also a part of that district. In 1926, the poet and dramatist John Drinkwater , author of Robert E. Lee and other plays, wrote of W&L, "This Lexington university
2592-920: The bottom 60%, and 1.5% from the bottom 20% (among the lowest of any U.S. college or university). 82% of students are white, 4.5% are Hispanic, 3.4% are Asian, and 2.2% are Black. The school's teams are known as "The Generals" and compete in NCAA Division III in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and the Centennial Conference for wrestling. Washington and Lee has 12 men's teams (baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, indoor and outdoor track & field, and wrestling) and 12 women's teams (basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, riding, soccer, swimming, tennis, indoor and outdoor track & field, and volleyball). Washington and Lee holds two NCAA National Championship team titles. In 1988,
2664-521: The business offers were meant primarily to trade on his name). During his tenure, Lee established the first journalism courses (which were limited and only lasted several years), and added engineering courses, a business school, and a law school to the college curriculum, under the conviction that those occupations should be intimately and inextricably linked with the liberal arts. That was a radical idea: engineering, journalism, and law had always been considered technical crafts, not intellectual endeavors, and
2736-429: The college 3rd in its 2019 list of 149 best private liberal arts college values and 6th overall among 500 colleges and universities. In 2015, The Economist ranked Washington and Lee first among all undergraduate institutions in the United States in terms of the positive gap between its students' actual median earnings ten years from graduation and what the publication's statistical model would suggest. Of its findings,
2808-413: The community. The Reeves Center houses a notable ceramics collection which spans 4000 years and includes ceramics from Asia, Europe and America, and examples of Chinese export porcelain. The indoor athletics facility, Duchossois, is undergoing renovation and is scheduled to be reopened in fall 2020. The school is governed by a board of trustees that has a maximum of 34 members. The undergraduate calendar
2880-552: The end of the war. "He frightened the family near the end of the war by disappearing for nearly a month after his horse was wounded on the retreat from Petersburg. By the time he had found another, the Federals were between him and his father's army. He turned south and was in the room in Greensboro, North Carolina, when Jefferson Davis got confirmation that the elder Lee had surrendered at Appomattox." All four Lees survived
2952-427: The face of an honor charge or after investigations and closed hearings conducted by the executive committee of the Student Body, the elected student government (with the accused counseled by Honor Advocates, often law students). In recent years, four or five students have left each year. Students found guilty in a closed hearing may appeal the verdict to an open hearing before the entire student body, although this option
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3024-626: The five areas of scholarship; athletics; campus/community service, social/religious activities, and campus government; journalism, speech and the mass media; and creative and performing arts. ODK is a quasi-secret society with regard to the way in which its members are selected and kept secret for a period of time. Membership in the Omicron Delta Kappa Society is regarded as one of the highest collegiate honors that can be awarded to an individual, along with Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Beta Kappa . Some circles limit membership to less than
3096-406: The flags from the statuary chamber is overdue." Since 2018, large doors placed before the chamber housing the statue of Lee are closed for most university events, obscuring the chamber and statue, keeping it "functionally separate from the chapel's assembly hall" at those times, with the stated intention that in doing so the chapel can be "welcoming to all members of our community." University Chapel
3168-606: The future", is an adaptation of the Lee family motto. Lee's son, George Washington Custis Lee , followed his father as the institution's president. Robert E. Lee and much of his family—including his wife, his seven children, and his parents, the Revolutionary War hero Major-General Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee and Anne Hill Carter Lee —are buried in University Chapel (formerly Lee Chapel) on campus, which faces
3240-489: The grime of black powder on his face. When Junior finally spoke up to ask if they would be thrown back into the fight, the general recognized him by his voice. "Yes, my son. You must do what you can to drive those people back," Lee said. After the Maryland Campaign , he was promoted to lieutenant and assigned as an aide to his older brother General William Henry Fitzhugh Lee , rising to the rank of captain before
3312-729: The institution of slavery. During the Civil War , the students of Washington College raised the Confederate flag in support of Virginia's secession. The students formed the Liberty Hall Volunteers, as part of the Stonewall Brigade under Confederate States Army general Stonewall Jackson and marched from Lexington. Later in the war, during Hunter's Raid, Union Captain Henry A. du Pont refused to destroy
3384-459: The institution, vow to act honorably in all academic and nonacademic endeavors. The honor system is administered by students through the executive committee of the Student Body (and has been since 1905). Students found guilty of an Honor Violation by their peers are subject to a single sanction: expulsion. The honor system is defined solely by students, and there is an appeal process. Appeals are heard by juries composed of students drawn randomly by
3456-554: The journalism and commerce buildings and renovation of every fraternity house and construction of several sorority houses. Lewis Hall, the 30-year-old home of the law school, as well as athletic fields and the antebellum Historic Front Campus buildings, are all currently undergoing major renovation. Constructed in 1991, the Lenfest Center for the Arts has presented both performances from students and presentations that are open to
3528-570: The law school is ranked 35th nationally among all law schools. The 2019 Forbes magazine college rankings place W&L 42nd among 650 universities, liberal arts colleges, and service academies. Washington Monthly ranked Washington and Lee 1st among 214 liberal arts colleges in the U.S. based on its contribution to the public good, as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service. In 2023, Degreechoices ranked Washington and Lee 3rd out of 209 liberal arts colleges and 14th for business. Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranked
3600-500: The liberal arts, humanities and hard sciences, with notable interest among students in pre-health and pre-law studies; (2) the Williams School of Commerce, Economics, and Politics, which offers majors in accounting, business administration, economics, and politics; and (3) the School of Law , which offers the Juris Doctor degree. More than 800 undergraduate courses are offered. With no graduate program (except in law), every course
3672-479: The logistics of setting up the Fancy Dress Ball. The Fancy Dress Ball has a budget of over $ 80,000. Washington and Lee University also follows the "speaking tradition" which traces its history to Robert E. Lee. Under this tradition, students are suggested to greet one another upon passing on campus. This tradition is not enforced. Washington and Lee University has several mysterious societies including
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#17327761860583744-399: The main row of antebellum college buildings. Robert E. Lee's beloved horse Traveller is buried outside, near the wall of the chapel. After Lee's death, the institution continued his program of educational innovation, modernization, and expansion. In 1905, the board of trustees formally organized a School of Commerce in order to train students in business and finance alongside the college and
3816-508: The meek and lowly Saviour can have undergone more trying ordeal [than Lee]. Thus, with as chaste a heart as ever plighted its faith until death, for better or for worse, [Lee] came to do, to suffer, and to die for us." Reflecting upon Lee's death and its aftermath, Daniel continued, "[Lee] has left a great, imperishable legacy to us and our heirs forever. The heart of man is his perpetual kingdom. There he reigns transcendent, and we exclaim: 'Oh, king, live forever.'" Daniel lamented that Lee had died
3888-605: The men's tennis team won the NCAA Division III National Championship title and holds 35 ODAC championships. In 2007, the women's tennis team claimed the NCAA Division III National Championship title. In 2018, the men's golf team finished as runner-up in the NCAA Division III championship . In 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2015, the Generals football team won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship. In 2009,
3960-475: The neighboring Virginia Military Institute . Upon completion and during Robert E. Lee's lifetime it was known as the College Chapel . Lee was buried beneath the chapel in 1870. The centerpiece of the apse of the chapel—in the place where an altar is located in the traditional plan of a Christian church—is a statue of Lee, in his uniform, asleep on an unnamed Civil War battlefield. The "Recumbent Lee"
4032-410: The newspaper wrote that "No other college combines the intimate academic setting and broad curriculum of a LAC [liberal arts college] with a potent old-boy network." For the class of 2026, W&L reported the following: Admissions information Financial aid information Washington and Lee is divided into three schools: (1) The College, where all undergraduates begin their studies, encompassing
4104-438: The presidency. The convention has received gavel-to-gavel coverage on C-SPAN and attention from many other national media outlets. The convention has correctly picked the out-of-power nominee for 20 of the past 27 national elections. It has been wrong three times since 1948, including its incorrect choice of Bernie Sanders in 2020. In 1984, the failure of the scoreboard significantly slowed the vote tally process and almost led to
4176-449: The racial harassment more laxly than he did more trivial offences or turned a blind eye to it altogether. Lee died on October 12, 1870, after five years as Washington College president. The college's name was almost immediately changed to Washington and Lee University to honor Lee. On February 4, 1871, the name change was formalized by the Virginia General Assembly . The university's motto, Nōn Incautus Futūrī' , meaning "Not unmindful of
4248-440: The school was unwelcoming to minorities. In his letter, President Kenneth P. Ruscio publicly apologized for the school's ownership of about 80 enslaved people during the period from 1826 to 1852, some of whom were forced to build a dormitory on campus. Some students, faculty, and alumni have advocated that Washington and Lee disassociate itself from Lee, including advocating a change of name. Other students and alumni have defended
4320-432: The study of business was viewed with skepticism. Lee's emphasis on student self-governance for Washington College remains the distinguishing character of the student-run Honor System today. And, ardent about restoring national unity, he successfully recruited white men as students from throughout the reunited nation, North and South . However, it has been argued that one of Lee's failings as president of Washington College
4392-580: The top one quarter of one percent of students on their respective campuses. Omicron Delta Kappa continues to maintain its headquarters in Lexington and is a major presence at W&L. During the first half of the 20th century, the institution began its traditions of the Fancy Dress Ball and Mock Convention. Both of these are still staples of the W&;L experience. The second half of the 20th century saw Washington and Lee move from being an all-men's college to
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#17327761860584464-493: The unfortunate dénouement). Robinson also left his estate to Washington College. The estate included between 70 and 80 enslaved people . Until 1852, the institution benefited from their enslaved labor and, in some cases, from their sale. In 2014, Washington and Lee University joined such colleges as Harvard University , Brown University , the University of Virginia , and The College of William & Mary in researching, acknowledging, and publicly regretting their participation in
4536-505: Was an apparent indifference to crimes of violence towards blacks committed by students at the college. Historian Elizabeth Brown Pryor notes that students at Washington College formed their own chapter of the KKK and were known by the local Freedmen's Bureau to attempt to abduct and rape black schoolgirls from the nearby black schools. There were also at least two attempted lynchings by Washington students during Lee's tenure. Yet Lee seemed to punish
4608-743: Was born and grew up in Lexington during Jim Crow and spent more than 45 years of his 60-year career at W&L, more than a quarter-century as a professor, including serving as the first Black chair of the History Department, said in 2019, "W&L is unique because the entire campus is a Confederate monument." In recent years, Washington and Lee has invested heavily in upgrading and expanding its academic, residential, athletic, research, arts and extracurricular facilities. The new facilities include an undergraduate library, gymnasium, art/music/theater complex, dorms, student center, student activities pavilion and tennis pavilion, as well as renovation of
4680-548: Was born and grew up in Lexington during Jim Crow and was the first Black chair of W&L's history department, in 2019 offered his opinion of the Robert E. Lee statue and its placement in the chapel: "The symbolism there is a violation of the first commandment." On the chapel walls, on either side of the statue chamber alcove, are two paintings: one of President George Washington by Gilbert Stuart from 1796, and another of Lee painted by J. Reid, from 1866. In 2018, these replaced
4752-419: Was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960. Novelist Ralph Ellison became the first African American to speak there in 1963. There is currently no schedule of public tours. Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University ( Washington and Lee or W&L ) is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia , United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy , it
4824-556: Was held at the school in University Chapel on or about Robert E. Lee's birthday, January 19, in conjunction with a board of trustees-mandated holiday/Lee commemoration called "Founders Day", a version of the Robert E. Lee Day birthday holiday still officially celebrated in a few southern states. (The board of trustees announced the discontinuation of "Founders Day" on June 4, 2021. ) ODK Chapters, known as Circles, are located on over 300 college campuses. The society recognizes achievement in
4896-543: Was held in the Chapel on or about Robert E. Lee's birthday, January 19, in conjunction with a board of trustees-mandated university holiday/Lee commemoration called "Founders Day," a version of the Robert E. Lee Day birthday holiday still officially celebrated in a few southern states. In 2014, Confederate flags surrounding the Lee statue in the Chapel were removed after student petitions. At that time, Robert E. Lee's great-grandson and 1949 W&L alumnus Robert E. Lee IV wrote in favor of this change, saying, "In my view, removing
4968-491: Was officially renamed from Lee Chapel on June 4, 2021, by the university's board of trustees. The university also announced the discontinuation of its school holiday known as "Founders Day," held on Robert E. Lee's birthday, and significant upcoming redesign and renovations of the Chapel to be overseen by the board "to restore its unadorned design and physically separate the auditorium from the Lee family crypt and Lee memorial sculpture." University Chapel, then known as Lee Chapel,
5040-448: Was placed atop Washington Hall on the historic Colonnade in 1844 in memory of Washington's gift. The current statue is made of bronze; the original wooden statue was restored and now resides in the library. The campus took its current architectural form in the 1820s when a local merchant, "Jockey" John Robinson, an uneducated Irish immigrant, donated funds to build a central building. For the dedication celebration in 1824, Robinson supplied
5112-478: Was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of revolutionary fervor. A number of prominent men from the area acted as its original trustees, including Andrew Lewis , Thomas Lewis , Sampson Mathews , Samuel McDowell , George Moffett, William Preston , and James Waddel . The academy moved to Lexington in 1780, when it was chartered as Liberty Hall Academy, and built its first facility near town in 1782. The academy granted its first bachelor's degree in 1785. Liberty Hall
5184-508: Was the sixth of seven children of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Randolph Custis . He became a soldier during the American Civil War , and later was a planter , businessman, and author. Rob Lee was born and raised at Arlington House across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. He was close to his father, who he was named after, and his sister, Mildred Childe Lee . He attended boarding schools during much of
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