History

Emory University had its start in 1836 in the small town of Oxford, Georgia, born from a bold idea held by Methodist leaders on the American frontier: that faith, intellect, and moral purpose belonged together. 

A Brief History

From its earliest days as Emory College, the institution cultivated a tradition of rigorous learning grounded in ethical responsibility, preparing leaders not just for professions, but for service to the world. 

That spirit of ambition carried Emory forward into the twentieth century, when a transformative move to Atlanta—supported by the generosity of Asa Griggs Candler of The Coca-Cola Company—propelled the institution into a new era. Emory evolved into a leading research university, distinguished by its commitment to scholarship, public service, and global engagement. 

Today, Emory University is an educational enterprise that includes nine schools, internationally ranked liberal arts, groundbreaking R1 impact, and one of the Southeast’s leading health care systems. An academic and research powerhouse, Emory shapes the critical thinkers and compassionate leaders who move the world forward.   

Major Milestones 

• 1836 The Georgia Methodist Conference receives a charter to establish a college in Oxford, Georgia—named after Bishop John Emory.
• 1880 Emory’s eighth president, Atticus Haygood, urges Southerners to broaden their thinking and embrace the dawn of the "New South."
• 1917 Eléonore Raoul becomes the first woman to enroll at Emory when she matriculates at the law school. She will graduate in 1920. 
• 1936 President Harvey Cox announces his plan for a $6 million development program on December 10—exactly a century after Emory's founding.
• 1963 Emory’s first African American students earn degrees, a year after the school brought a suit against the state of Georgia to overturn laws that restricted the ability of private institutions to integrate.
• 1982 Former US President Jimmy Carter joins the faculty as a University Distinguished Professor and Emory establishes the Carter Center.
• 1990 The university launches the Rollins School of Public Health, which begins a quick ascent to the top five among schools of public health.
• 1998 His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama speaks at Commencement and establishes an Emory program in Tibetan Buddhist Studies in Dharamsala, India. 
• 2002 Emory’s Whitehead Research building is the first in the Southeast to be certified for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). 
• 2014–2015 Emory University Hospital successfully treats the first Ebola virus disease patients in the Western Hemisphere. 
• 2020 Emory’s Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit played a key role in a nationwide clinical trial evaluating the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.