History of Florida State University
Origins and Early Development
Florida State University traces its roots to an 1823 U.S. Congress initiative aimed at establishing a higher education system. The 1838 Florida Constitution formalized this plan by allocating land for schools. In 1845, when Florida became the 27th state, Congress supplemented its admission with an act authorizing the creation of two seminaries—one east and one west of the Suwannee River.
By 1851, the Florida Legislature determined that these seminaries would be awarded to the towns offering the best support for education. The primary purpose of these institutions was to train teachers in public school subjects, followed by instruction in agriculture, science, law, and citizenship.
The East Florida Seminary was established in Ocala in 1853, while the competition for the West Florida Seminary sparked a dispute among Quincy, Marianna, and Tallahassee. Quincy eventually withdrew, leaving Marianna and Tallahassee in a stalemate that required state intervention. To strengthen its bid, Tallahassee reopened a boys’ school—renaming it the Florida Institute—and combined it with land and buildings. In 1856, the legislature awarded Tallahassee the West Seminary, with the governor signing the law on January 1, 1857. A year later, the school became coeducational by integrating the nearby Female Institute.
The West Florida Seminary was situated west of the state Capitol on land historically known as Gallows Hill, a former site for public executions.
Civil War and Reconstruction
Between 1860 and 1861, the legislature amended the original 1851 law to introduce military instruction, partly to prevent faculty from being conscripted—a move that could have shut down the school. During the Civil War, the seminary was renamed the Florida Military and Collegiate Institute and saw enrollment rise to about 250 students, making it one of the most prominent educational institutions in the state.
In 1865, cadets from the school participated in the Battle of Natural Bridge, where they joined Confederate forces to defend Tallahassee. Led by Captain D.W. Gwynn and trained by Valentine Mason Johnson, these cadets played a role in protecting artillery positions. As a result, Tallahassee remained the only Confederate capital east of the Mississippi River not captured by Union troops.
After the war, Union forces temporarily occupied the campus, using its buildings as barracks until September 1865. The school later resumed its academic mission. Today, Florida State University’s Army ROTC is one of four programs authorized to display a battle streamer for its role in the Civil War.
Evolution into a University
In 1883, the West Florida Seminary was restructured by the Board of Education and became the Literary College of the University of Florida, which was meant to house multiple disciplines. However, the seminary retained its independent charter. The institution also incorporated the Tallahassee College of Medicine and Surgery, with plans to add more colleges.
In 1885, the Florida Legislature formally recognized the university under the name “University of Florida,” but without financial support, the project struggled. The institution never officially adopted the university title, and the venture collapsed when the medical college moved to Jacksonville later that year.
According to Doak Campbell, Florida State University’s fifth president, the institution primarily functioned as a secondary school for its first 50 years, only qualifying as a collegiate institution by the early 20th century. In 1901, it was renamed Florida State College.
The Buckman Act and Restructuring
In 1905, the Florida Legislature passed the Buckman Act, reorganizing the state’s higher education system. Under this law, Florida State College became a women’s institution—Florida Female College (later renamed Florida State College for Women). Meanwhile, a separate university for white men was established as the University of the State of Florida, and a school for African Americans became the State Normal and Industrial College for Colored Students.
This restructuring was controversial, as it transformed a historically coeducational institution into a women’s college. James Westcott III, a major benefactor of the school, had left substantial funding in his will, but his estate later sued the state, arguing that the funds were not intended for a single-sex institution. The Florida Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state, determining that the transition aligned with the intent of Westcott’s will.
By 1933, Florida State College for Women had grown into the third-largest women’s college in the U.S. It became the first public women’s college in the South to earn a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and the first university in Florida to receive the honor. Until 1919, it was also the largest of Florida’s original two state universities.
Return to Coeducation and Post-War Expansion
The influx of returning World War II veterans using the G.I. Bill strained Florida’s university system. As a temporary solution, the Tallahassee Branch of the University of Florida (TBUF) was established on the Florida State College for Women campus, with male students housed in barracks at Dale Mabry Field.
In 1947, the Florida Legislature restored coeducational status to the college, renaming it Florida State University (FSU). The West Campus, which housed barracks for returning soldiers, later became the site of Tallahassee Community College.
The post-war years brought rapid growth, with new colleges emerging in business, journalism (discontinued in 1959), library science, nursing, and social welfare. The construction of Strozier Library and Tully Gymnasium in 1956 marked this era of expansion.
Civil Rights and Student Activism
In 1962, FSU admitted its first African-American undergraduate, Maxwell Courtney. Fred Flowers became the first African-American baseball player in 1965, followed by Lenny Hall as the first Black basketball player in 1966 and Calvin Patterson as the first Black football player in 1968.
The 1960s and 1970s saw FSU emerge as a hub of student activism, focusing on civil rights, women’s rights, and opposition to the Vietnam War. Dubbed the “Berkeley of the South,” the university also became associated with the 1970s streaking trend, reportedly first seen on Landis Green.
In 1972, biology professor Margaret Menzel led a class-action lawsuit against FSU over gender discrimination in pay and promotions. The case was settled in 1975, resulting in policy changes addressing workplace bias and nepotism.
In 1980, student Bill Wade was controversially elected Homecoming Princess under the name “Billie Dahhling,” highlighting growing discussions about LGBTQ+ rights on campus. By 2013, FSU had officially prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Medicine and Preeminence
Recognizing a need for more physicians, particularly in primary care, the Florida Legislature approved the establishment of the FSU College of Medicine in 2000. It was the first new medical school in the U.S. in nearly two decades. The King Life Sciences Building, opened in 2008, expanded research opportunities in medical and related fields.
In 2013, FSU and the University of Florida were designated as Florida’s first two “preeminent universities” by the Florida Legislature and the Board of Governors. This prestigious status, awarded based on rigorous academic criteria, must be maintained annually..