Rutgers Female College was chartered in April 1838 under the name Rutgers Female Institute. Its first home was at 262–66 Madison Street on the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, on land lent by William B. Crosby, one of the first incorporators.

Isaac Ferris Isaac Ferris (1798-1873) was the third President of New York University. Ferris graduated from Columbia College in 1816. In 1820, he was appointed by the Board of Domestic Missions to labor in the Classis of Montgomery. He served in the Second Ch ...

was a co-founder. The cornerstone of a new building was laid August 29, 1838, and the institute was opened in the spring of 1839. It was the first seminary for the higher education of women in the City of New York. In 1860, it moved uptown to 487–91 Fifth Avenue. An application for a full collegiate charter was made to the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official ...

, and granted April 11, 1867, expressly conferring on Rutgers all rights, powers, and privileges enjoyed by any college or university in the state, except the authority to grant medical or legal diplomas. By 1870, a branch had been established in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

, at the corner of Second Avenue and 124th Street. The college ceased operations in 1894.

Notable people

Alumni

* Florence Merriam Bailey (1963-1948), ornithologist, birdwatcher, and nature writer *

Mary Helen Peck Crane Mary Helen Peck Crane (, Peck; April 10, 1827 – December 7, 1891) was a 19th-century American church and temperance activist, as well as a writer. She was the mother of the writer, Stephen Crane. She died in 1891. Early life and education Mary ...

(1827-1891), activist, writer *

Margaret Winship Eytinge Margaret Winship Eytinge (1832-1916) was a New York-based author, often associated with children’s short stories and poems. She wrote under the pen-names of Madge Elliot, Bell Thorne and Allie Vernon. She was the mother of actress Pearl Eytin ...

(1832-1916), author *

Florence Carpenter Ives Florence Carpenter Ives (, Carpenter; March 10, 1854 – December 20, 1900) was an American journalist and editor. She served as editor of the woman's department of the ''Metropolitan and Rural Home'' and was in charge of all the press work sent o ...

(1854-1900), journalist and editor * Jennie de la Montagnie Lozier (1841-1915), physician *

Anna Oliver Vivianna Olivia Snowden, (April 12, 1840 – November 21, 1892) better known by her professional name Anna Oliver, was an American preacher and activist who was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and was one of the first women to attempt f ...

(1840–1892), preacher * Emma Homan Thayer (1842–1908), botanical artist and author

Others

* Julia Keese Colles (1840–1913), faculty * Oliver Crane (1822–1896), faculty * Samuel D. Burchard (1812-1891), president

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, position=left, Rutgers Female College Educational institutions established in 1838 1838 establishments in New York (state) 1894 disestablishments in New York (state) Former women's universities and colleges in the United States Fifth Avenue Defunct private universities and colleges in New York (state)