The Founding and Early Years of the University of Florida

By Joe Marzo

Common Questions we will answer: When was the university of Florida founded? Was the university of Florida always in Gainesville? Were women allow to attend the university of Florida in the early year? When did UF move to gainesville?

Origins and Predecessor Institutions

The roots of the University of Florida extend back to the mid-19th century. In 1853, the East Florida Seminary became Florida’s first publicly supported institution of higher learning when it acquired the private Kingsbury Academy in Ocala. The seminary operated until the Civil War, after which it reopened and relocated to Gainesville.

The seminaries established by the state—East Florida Seminary in Ocala and West Florida Seminary in Tallahassee—were not religious institutions, despite what the name might suggest. In the 19th century, the term “seminary” referred to a seminary of learning, meaning an advanced public academy rather than a theological school. These institutions were created by the Florida Legislature to provide higher education and teacher training in a frontier state that still lacked a formal university system.

Another vital precursor was the Florida Agricultural College (FAC), established in 1884 in Lake City under the federal Morrill Act as Florida’s land-grant institution. Its mission emphasized scientific instruction in agriculture and mechanics, reflecting the needs and aspirations of a largely rural state. Over time, FAC sought to broaden its curriculum beyond agricultural and mechanical disciplines.

By the early 20th century, Florida’s higher education landscape included several distinct institutions—seminaries, normal schools, and regional colleges—each serving particular communities and missions. The state government and educational leaders increasingly saw value in consolidating these into a more unified university system.

Consolidation under the Buckman Act

In 1905, the Florida Legislature enacted the Buckman Act, a sweeping reorganization of public higher education in the state. Under its provisions, six existing institutions were restructured and merged into three new ones, segregated by race and gender. Among them was the new institution intended for white male students, known initially as the

University of the State of Florida.

By design, the university was an all-male institution, while the Florida State College for Women in Tallahassee served white female students, and the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes (today Florida A&M University) in Tallahassee served Black students. This structure reflected the deeply segregated nature of education in early 20th-century Florida.

Four institutions merged to form the new university:

• Florida Agricultural College (Lake City)

• East Florida Seminary (Gainesville)

• St. Petersburg Normal & Industrial School (St. Petersburg)

• South Florida Military College (Bartow)

To administer the reconfigured system, the Buckman Act also established a Florida Board of Control, which oversaw the merged institutions and allocated resources.

Although the act did not designate a permanent location for the new university at first, Gainesville and Lake City vied for the honor. Gainesville, with strong local advocacy and leadership, ultimately won. On July 6, 1905, the Board of Control selected Gainesville as the site for the new institution. Because the Gainesville campus was not yet ready to host students, the university’s first academic year (1905–1906) was conducted at the former Lake City campus.

Establishing the Gainesville Campus

Construction began in late 1905 on a campus west of the town of Gainesville. Architects laid out the grounds in the Collegiate Gothic style, a look that would come to define the university’s early identity. The first two buildings completed were Buckman Hall, named after legislator Henry Holland Buckman, and Thomas Hall, named for Gainesville’s mayor, William Reuben Thomas.

When students arrived in September 1906, those two buildings served nearly every purpose—classrooms, administrative offices, dormitories, and dining areas. On September 26, 1906, the first class began in Gainesville, with an enrollment of just over 100 students. Andrew Sledd, who had previously served as president in Lake City, became the inaugural president of the new university.

At this time, the institution was still officially called the University of the State of Florida.

Growth and Reorganization

In 1909, the university shortened its name to the University of Florida, a title that better reflected its aspirations as the state’s flagship institution. That same year, Albert A. Murphree became the university’s second president. During Murphree’s nearly two-decade tenure, the university underwent significant expansion. Many of UF’s foundational colleges and schools were established during this period—Arts and Sciences, Law, Engineering, Education, Commerce, and Pharmacy among them.

Murphree also oversaw a dramatic rise in enrollment, transforming a small regional college into a growing state university. His administration emphasized academic rigor, campus traditions, and the development of a cohesive student culture. The foundations of modern student government and intercollegiate athletics also took root during this era.

Under later presidents, such as John J. Tigert in the 1920s and 1930s, the university continued to evolve. Tigert introduced the concept of athletic scholarships to curb under-the-table payments to athletes, creating what became known as the grant-in-aid model. He also helped formalize the University Athletic Association, giving structure to UF’s sports programs.

Despite economic hardship during the Great Depression and the disruptions of two World Wars, the University of Florida continued to expand both academically and physically. It admitted women (initially in limited programs, then fully by the mid-20th century) and gradually moved toward racial integration after World War II.

Legacy of the Early Era

By the mid-20th century, the University of Florida had established itself as the state’s preeminent institution of higher learning. In 1947, the university officially became coeducational, opening its doors to women after more than forty years as an all-male institution. The change came as part of a postwar expansion fueled by the GI Bill, growing enrollment, and a broader commitment to inclusion within Florida’s public education system.

Its early years—shaped by consolidation, perseverance, and visionary leadership—laid the foundation for a university that would grow into one of the nation’s most respected public research institutions.

The legacy of that formative period is visible not just in UF’s historic brick buildings, but in the enduring spirit of innovation, service, and scholarship that continues to define the University of Florida today.

Sources

• University of Florida Faculty Handbook – About UF

• Buckman Act - State Archives

• Gainesville Sun: “The Beginning of a University”

• University of Florida Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) – Historical Overview

• Encyclopedia Britannica – University of Florida

• National Register of Historic Places – Buckman and Thomas Halls