It would go on to educate two signers of the Declaration of Independence, three American presidents, and three justices of the Supreme Court. Chartered by British royalty in 1693, the college retains that connection to its roots into the 21st century. Remarkably through history, the College of William and Mary was, and remains, a public university—one of 16 in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
At a time in American history when the 18th-century thought and practice of Thomas Jefferson has become part of the contemporary conversation, the college from which he graduated in 1762 continues to pursue his simple notion that “worth and genius [be] sought from every condition of life.”
Background Information
George Washington fought in both the French and Indian and the Revolutionary wars, and was his country's first President. The Declaration of Independence was promulgated by the Second Continental Congress and declared independence for the 13 colonies from Britain. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, founded the Democratic-Republican Party and was the third President.