Purdue University was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university under the Morrill Act of 1862. The university began as a branch of Indiana State University located in West Lafayette, Indiana. In 1874 after the death of Purdue’s president, William Oldham, the Indiana General Assembly voted to take over and reorganize what was then called Purdue University. The legislature appointed David Ross Boyd as president to replace Oldham.
During the next 18 years, three presidents would lead the institution: David Ross Boyd (1874–1894), John Martin (1894–1915), and James Heston (1915–1926).
The early years of Purdue were focused on shaping an educational system that would provide an affordable liberal arts education for all students by utilizing the new technology of electricity and advanced equipment for teaching purposes. In this same period, Purdue established a law school to produce a trained legal profession in Indiana and served as host to a state constitutional convention in 1908 that produced important reforms in government.
The university is divided into four main campuses: the main campus in West Lafayette, Indiana; the Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW) Campus; the Purdue Calumet Campus in Whiting, Indiana; and the Purdue North Central Campus in Westville, Indiana. The university operates a regional campus system with five regional campuses located throughout Indiana: Hammond (Fort Wayne), Indianapolis, Merrillville (Gary), New Albany (Evansville), and Richmond (Richmond).
