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Old Main, which now serves as the primary administrative building for the university, was built on land known as Maple Grove in what was then Virginia. John Laidley , a local lawyer, hosted the meeting which lead to the founding of the academy. He named the academy after his friend, John Marshall, who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from January 1801 until July 1835.
In 1838, the Virginia General Assembly officially chartered the academy, and the school that year began its first full term. The academy was closed for several years during the Civil War.
In 1863 the western counties of Virginia officially formed the State of West Virginia, and in the legislature of West Virginia created the State Normal School of Marshall College. Forty-years later, in 1907, enrollment surpassed 1,000 students.
In 1938Events January -June January 3 The March of Dimes is established by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. January 11 Frances Moulton is the first woman to become president of a US national bank. January 20 Wedding of king Farouk I of Egypt and Farida Zulficar in Cai, the college officially began granting Master's degrees in chemistryChemistry is the science of matter and its interactions with energy (see physics, biology). Because of the diversity of matter (which is mostly atomic), Chemists are often engaged in the pursuit of studying how atoms interact to form molecules, and how mo, educationEducation encompasses teaching and learning specific skills, and also something less tangible but more profound: the imparting of knowledge, good judgement and wisdom. One of the fundamental goals of education is to impart culture across the generations (, historyHistory is often used as a generic term for information about the past, such as in "geologic history of the Earth". When used as the name of a field of study, history refers to the study and interpretation of the record of human societies. The term histor, political sciencePolitical science is the study of politics. It involves the study of structure and process in government or any equivalent system that attempts to assure safety, fairness, and closure across a broad range of risks and access to a broad range of commons fo, psychologyPsychology is the study of mind, thought, and behaviour. It is largely concerned with humans, although the behaviour and thought of animals is also studied; either as a subject in its own right (see animal cognition), or more controversially, as a way of, and sociologySociology is the study of social rules and processes that bind and separate people not only as individuals, but as members of associations, groups, and institutions. A typical textbook definition of sociology calls it the study of the social lives of huma.
In 1937Events January January 1 Anastasio Somoza becomes President of Nicaragua January 11 The first issue of Look magazine goes on sale in the United States. January 19 Howard Hughes sets a new air record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours,, the college suffered through a devastating flooding by the Ohio River. The city of Huntington later built a floodwall to protect both the college and downtown city businesses from future flooding.
In 1960, John F. Kennedy spoke at the college during his cross-country campaign for the presidency.
In 1961, the state legislature created Marshall University. Governor W. W. Baron signed the legislation at the university the day after it passed the legislature, on March 2, 1961. Interestingly, the student newspaper, the Parthenon, prepared two frontpages for the day, depending on the outcome of the legislature's vote.
In 1969, the university's athletic program, facing a number of scandals, fired both its football and basketball coaches and was suspended from the Mid-American Conference and from the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The university respectably rebuilt its athletic program over the next several years, and in 1977, the university joined the Southern Conference.
In 1970, the entire football team and several community members were killed in an airplane crash. They were returning, on November 14, after playing East Carolina University. In 1972, the university built and named a new student union, the Memorial Student Center, in honor of the team. The plaza of the center has a fountain which does not flow each November 14. Also, all flags throughout West Virginia fly at half-staff on the anniversary of the crash.
In 1992, Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke at the university, during her husband's campaign for the presidency, on a national plan to make healthcare accessible to all Americans.
In 1997, the West Virginia Graduate College became the graduate college of Marshall University. Its campus is located in South Charleston, West Virginia.
In 1998, the John Deaver Drinko Library opened on campus. The center includes a 24-hour study center and a coffee shop, and has both wired and wireless networking throughout the building. John Deaver Drinko graduated from the university in 1942.
In 2002, Marshall became the first university to eliminate landline telephones from its dormitory rooms. Most Marshall students who live in residence halls now receive their own mobile phones.
In 2004, the GOP voter registration van made its first stop at Marshall's campus, due to the large number of conservative students there. President George W. Bush also visited in April and spoke at the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse . The Cabell County Young Democrats helped organize a protest consisting of over 1,000 people.