St Johns College - Yearbook (Annapolis, MD)

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Humphreys was appointed principal, a11d by his perse- vering efforts and personal influence with the members of the Legislature a sum of 52000 was added to the annuity, provided the Board of Visitors and Governors should agree to accept it in full satisfaction of all legal or equitable claims that they might have or be supposed to have against tl1e State. The Board consented, and tl1e deed of release was executed and entered upon the records of tl1e Court of Appeals. At the same time the Governor ofthe State, President of the Senate Speaker of the House of Dele- gates, and the judges of the Court ofAppeals were Illilde ex-WMO members of the Board, indelibly Hxing to the college the character of a State i11stitutio11. In 1833 tl1e principal was authorized by tl1e Visitors 21IlCl Governors to collect a fund of 1iS30,o00. About .,l?SII,OOO was raised, and in june, 1835, the CO1'11S1' stone of Humphreys Hall was laid with i111pres- sive ceremonies. Chancellor john johnson, a distin- guished alumnus, was the orator. From this time 011 there are lists of graduates for each year except 1843, '45, '48, ,SI and '54, u11til 1855, whe11 the college was reorganized, and in the 5211116 year Pinkney Hall was built. Two years afterward Dr. Humphreys was suc- ceeded by Rev. Dr. C. K. Nelson. He guided the col- lege successfully till 1861, when the college buildings were utilized as a 111ilitary hospital by the United States Army u11til the close of the war. The Board of Visitors in 1859, believing the Act of 1806 a violation of charter rights, and therefore void, brought suit to recover tl1e amount of their claim-over ,830o,000, including interest, but the Court held that the Board of Visitors could 11ot avoid the release given in 1833, and the suit went against tl1e111. Reverdy johnson a11d other eminent lawyers held that lllldel' tl1e ter111s of the charter the board l1ad go11e beyond its powers in granting the release, and advised tl1at the case be taken to the Supre111e Court of the United States. Ill 1866, after tl1e close ofthe Civil NVar, Zlllfl while measures were in progress for obtaining a decree in favor of the college, the Legislature restored tl1e arrearages of the annuity of 53000, suspended from 1861 to 1866, a11d appropriated an additional sum of 512,000 per annum for live years from the first of 1868. The Board of Visitors, believing that this appropriation would be a per111a11ent one, a11d that it was given i11 due recognition of the clai111s of tl1e college, accepted it i11 good faith, and relinquished the suit which they had bee11 prepared to make. The college buildings were put in thorough repair, and Dr. Henry Barnard, of Connecticut, late Connnis- sioner of Education, was elected principal, and the col- lege was reopened in Septe111ber, 1866. On his resigna- tion the following Su111mer, Dr. James C. Wellixig, after- wards and now president of Columbian University, XVashington, D. C., was chosen principal, arid the college opened in the Autumn with 115 students. Before the