Royal Charter - United States

United States

Although several American universities which predate the American Revolution purport to hold royal charters, in a number of cases they were in fact created by a grant from a local authority such as a colonial legislature.

Colleges created by royal charter from King William III and Queen Mary II of England:

  • The College of William & Mary 1693 - (created by Letters Patent)

Colleges created by King George II of Great Britain:

  • Columbia University 1754 as King's College - (probably created by Letters Patent)

American colleges popularly believed to have been established by Royal Charter, but actually by some other type of grant:

  • Harvard College 1639 - By Act of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
  • Yale University 1701 - as Collegiate School by Act of the General Assembly of Connecticut
  • Princeton University 1746 - as College of New Jersey by the General Assembly of the Province of New Jersey
  • Brown University 1764 - as College of Rhode Island by Letters Patent from The Governor and General Assembly of the English Colony of Rhode Island
  • Rutgers University 1766 - as Queen's College by Governor William Franklin of New Jersey
  • Dartmouth College 1769 - by Letters Patent by King George III via the Governor of the province of New Hampshire. The distinction between the Letters Patent forming Dartmouth versus those documents founding William & Mary or Kings College (Columbia) is that the seal of the Province of New Hampshire appears on the Dartmouth document, while the Great Seal of the Realm appears on the William & Mary and King's documents.

Read more about this topic:  Royal Charter

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