Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.
The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about 20 miles (32 km) north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of revolutionary fervor. The academy moved to Lexington in 1780, when it was chartered as Liberty Hall Academy, and built its first facility ...
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Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.
The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about 20 miles (32 km) north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of revolutionary fervor. The academy moved to Lexington in 1780, when it was chartered as Liberty Hall Academy, and built its first facility near town in 1782.
In 1796, George Washington endowed it with the largest gift ever given to a college (at the time): $20,000 in stock, rescuing it from near-certain insolvency. In gratitude, the trustees changed the school's name to Washington Academy; it was subsequently chartered as Washington College. Dividends from Washington's gift continue to pay about $1.87 a year toward the cost of each student's education. Robert E. Lee was its president after the Civil War until his death in 1870, after which the school was renamed Washington and...
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