Foundational Figures

Collaborators are examining how several of WashU's early leaders and benefactors - including co-founders William Greenleaf Eliot and Wayman Crow, and early trustees and benefactors including John O'Fallon, Henry Shaw, John How and others - are connected to histories and legacies of slavery. These examinations are contributing to a more accurate and honest account of the foundational story of Washington University in St. Louis. This retelling of our story will be critical to ongoing understanding, acknowledgement and remedial responses to the ways our academic institution remains implicated in structures of inequality.

James H. Lucas and the Inheritances of Slavery

WashU’s founder was not an abolitionist: Who was William Greenleaf Eliot?

Washington University Enslavers

Official	Role	Bio Summary	People Enslaved	People Manumitted	Security for	SLIDE Profile
William Greenleaf Eliot		Co-founder and third Chancellor of Washington University. Contributed to public education in St. Louis; not a staunch abolitionist despite common belief; writings show complex views on abolitionism and slavery-related events; involved with Western Sanitary Commission.	Lydia Virginia	Lydia Virginia Amanda Holmes	Archer Alexander
William Anderson Hargadine		Coming soon.	Boy, name omitted, age 7 in 1860			View on SLIDE
William Glasgow, Jr.	Board of Directors, 1853-1855.	Coming soon.
John O'Fallon	Board of Directors, 1855-1865.	Coming soon.	Name omitted, male, age 50 Name omitted, female, age 50 Patsy Sousen Frank Alley 33 people in 1830 26 people in 1840 40 people in 1850 39 people in 1860	Frances Michael	Commodore Miller
James H. Lucas	Board of Directors, 1856-1873 Washington University School of Law	Coming soon	Teresa Manette Lizzy Leon Lucas Mary Hoppins Hawkins			View on SLIDE
Thomas Tasker Gantt	Board of Directors, 1856-1886	[add description]	Boy, name omitted, age 0-9 in 1845		Demes Johnson
Derrick Algernon January	Board of Directors, 1860-1862.	Coming soon			Margaret Smothers (Rose)	View on SLIDE
James E. Yeatman	Board of Directors, 1862-1901. St. Louis Medical College Board of Trustees, 1845-1854.	Coming soon		Flora Shirts Arriana George Carr Mary Armstead		View on SLIDE
Carlos Smith Greeley	Board of Directors, 1864-1898	Coming soon	Woman, name omitted, age 80 in 1860 Woman, name omitted, age 34 in 1860 Girl, name omitted, age 12 in 1860 Girl, name omitted, age 8 in 1860			View on SLIDE
Robert Campbell	Board of Directors, 1866-1878	Coming soon	Eliza Rone
Maurice Dwight Collier	Board of Directors, 1878-1887 One of the four Collier brothers who donated $25,000 for the Collier Professorship of Greek
Isaac H. Lionberger	Board of Directors, 1894-1919.

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