1.
George Washington University
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The George Washington University is a private research university in Washington, D. C. GW is the largest institution of education in Washington, D. C. In his will, Washington left his 50 shares in the Potomac Company to help endow the university, however, due to the companys financial difficulties, the funding did not materialize. The university was chartered by an act of Congress on February 9,1821 and its name was changed to Columbian University in 1873 and to the George Washington University in 1904, in honor of Washington. GWs Graduate School of Political Management is the school of applied politics in the nations capital. GWs professional schools and the Elliott School of International Affairs are consistently ranked highly in national and international college rankings lists, the Princeton Review consistently ranks GW as one of the Most Politically Active schools. Some of the graduates have gone on to high positions within both the U. S. government and foreign governments. Notable alumni include former Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and he presented numerous letters to Congress and included the subject in his last will and testament. Baptist missionary and leading minister Luther Rice raised funds to purchase a site in Washington, the first commencement in 1824 was considered an important event for the young city of Washington, D. C. In attendance were President Monroe, John C, Calhoun, Henry Clay, Marquis de Lafayette and other dignitaries. During the Civil War, most students left to join the Confederacy, walt Whitman was among many of the volunteers to work on the campus. Following the war, in 1873, Columbian College became the Columbian University and moved to a downtown location centered on 15th and H streets. The university moved its operations to the D. C. neighborhood of Foggy Bottom in 1912. The George Washington University, like much of Washington, D. C. traces many of its origins back to the Freemasons, the Bible that the presidents of the university use to swear an oath on upon inauguration is the Bible of Freemason George Washington. Freemasonry symbols are displayed throughout the campus including the foundation stones of many of the university buildings. Many of the Colleges of the George Washington University stand out for their age, the Law School is the oldest law school in the District of Columbia. The School of Medicine and Health Sciences is the 11th oldest medical school in the nation, the Columbian College was founded in 1821, and is the oldest unit of the university. The Elliott School of International Affairs was formalized in 1898, the majority of the present infrastructure and financial stability at GW is due to the tenures of Presidents Cloyd Heck Marvin, Lloyd Hartman Elliott and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg
2.
Washington, D.C.
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Washington, D. C. formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D. C. is the capital of the United States. The signing of the Residence Act on July 16,1790, Constitution provided for a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Congress and the District is therefore not a part of any state. The states of Maryland and Virginia each donated land to form the federal district, named in honor of President George Washington, the City of Washington was founded in 1791 to serve as the new national capital. In 1846, Congress returned the land ceded by Virginia, in 1871. Washington had an population of 681,170 as of July 2016. Commuters from the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs raise the population to more than one million during the workweek. The Washington metropolitan area, of which the District is a part, has a population of over 6 million, the centers of all three branches of the federal government of the United States are in the District, including the Congress, President, and Supreme Court. Washington is home to national monuments and museums, which are primarily situated on or around the National Mall. The city hosts 176 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of international organizations, trade unions, non-profit organizations, lobbying groups. A locally elected mayor and a 13‑member council have governed the District since 1973, However, the Congress maintains supreme authority over the city and may overturn local laws. D. C. residents elect a non-voting, at-large congressional delegate to the House of Representatives, the District receives three electoral votes in presidential elections as permitted by the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1961. Various tribes of the Algonquian-speaking Piscataway people inhabited the lands around the Potomac River when Europeans first visited the area in the early 17th century, One group known as the Nacotchtank maintained settlements around the Anacostia River within the present-day District of Columbia. Conflicts with European colonists and neighboring tribes forced the relocation of the Piscataway people, some of whom established a new settlement in 1699 near Point of Rocks, Maryland. 43, published January 23,1788, James Madison argued that the new government would need authority over a national capital to provide for its own maintenance. Five years earlier, a band of unpaid soldiers besieged Congress while its members were meeting in Philadelphia, known as the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783, the event emphasized the need for the national government not to rely on any state for its own security. However, the Constitution does not specify a location for the capital, on July 9,1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which approved the creation of a national capital on the Potomac River. The exact location was to be selected by President George Washington, formed from land donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia, the initial shape of the federal district was a square measuring 10 miles on each side, totaling 100 square miles. Two pre-existing settlements were included in the territory, the port of Georgetown, Maryland, founded in 1751, many of the stones are still standing
3.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
4.
Corcoran Gallery of Art
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The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D. C. Prior to its closing, it was one of the oldest privately supported cultural institutions in the United States capital, starting in 1890, a museum school, later known as the Corcoran College of Art + Design, co-existed with the gallery. The museums main focus was American art, when the gallery was founded in 1869 by William Wilson Corcoran, the co-founder of Riggs Bank, it was one of the first fine art galleries in the country. Corcoran established the gallery, supported with an endowment, for the establishment and encouragement of the Fine Arts. While an independent institution, the Corcoran was the oldest and largest non-federal art museum in the District of Columbia and its mission was dedicated to art and used solely for the purpose of encouraging the American genius. The Corcoran Gallery of Art was originally located at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, construction of that building started before the Civil War. The building, near completion, was used by the government as a warehouse during the Civil War and it was finally completed in 1874 and the gallery opened to the public. By 1897, the Corcoran Gallery collection outgrew the space of its original building, a new building was constructed, designed by Ernest Flagg in a Beaux-Arts style. The 135,000 square feet building was built to house an expanded Corcoran collection in addition to the nascent school, which had been formally founded in 1890. In 1928, the art collection of former Senator William A. Clark joined the Corcoran in a new wing designed by Charles Adam Platt, for decades, the Corcoran examined the possibility of adding on a final wing which would complete the campus footprint. These plans abruptly ended in 2005 after a Frank O. Gehry -designed wing was scrapped due to lack of funding, throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the gallery continued to display its main collection from Corcoran, Clark, and a few select major donors. In 1989, the Corcoran Gallery of Art had agreed to host a solo exhibit of Robert Mapplethorpes works. Mapplethorpe decided to show a new series that he had explored shortly before his death, Robert Mapplethorpe, several Trustees of the Corcoran and U. S. The Coalition of Washington Artists organized a demonstration to protest the Corcoran Gallerys cancellation of the exhibit, an estimated 700 people attended the demonstration. In June 1989, pop artist Lowell Blair Nesbitt became involved with a scandal involving Mapplethorpes work and it was at this time that Nesbitt, a long-time friend of Mapplethorpe, revealed that he had a $1.5 million bequest to the museum in his will. Nesbitt publicly promised that if the museum refused to host the exhibition he would revoke his bequest, the Corcoran refused and Nesbitt bequeathed the money to the Phillips Collection instead. The 1990 NEA Appropriations Bill included language against obscene work, as a result of the scandal, more than a dozen artists canceled exhibitions while the director, Christina Orr-Cahall, resigned and moved to the Norton Museum of Art. In its final years, the museum and its art and design college Corcoran College of Art and Design together had a staff of about 140
5.
National Gallery of Art
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The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D. C. located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was established in 1937 for the American people by a joint resolution of the United States Congress. Andrew W. Mellon donated an art collection and funds for construction. The Gallery often presents temporary special exhibitions spanning the world and the history of art and it is one of the largest museums in North America. In 1930 Mellon formed the A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, when quizzed by Abbot, he explained that the project was in the hands of the Trust and that its decisions were partly dependent on the attitude of the Government towards the gift. Designed by architect John Russell Pope, the new structure was completed and accepted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on behalf of the American people on March 17,1941. Neither Mellon nor Pope lived to see the completed, both died in late August 1937, only two months after excavation had begun. At the time of its inception it was the largest marble structure in the world, as anticipated by Mellon, the creation of the National Gallery encouraged the donation of other substantial art collections by a number of private donors. The Gallerys East Building was constructed in the 1970s on much of the land left over from the original congressional joint resolution. It was funded by Mellons children Paul Mellon and Ailsa Mellon Bruce, designed by famed architect I. M. Pei, the contemporary structure was completed in 1978 and was opened on June 1 of that year by President Jimmy Carter. The new building was built to house the Museums collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures. The design received a National Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects in 1981, the final addition to the complex is the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. Completed and opened to the public on May 23,1999, the National Gallery of Art is supported through a private-public partnership. The United States federal government provides funds, through annual appropriations, to support the museums operations, all artwork, as well as special programs, are provided through private donations and funds. The museum is not part of the Smithsonian Institution, noted directors of the National Gallery have included David E. Finley, Jr. John Walker, and J. Carter Brown. Rusty Powell III is the current director, entry to both buildings of the National Gallery of Art is free of charge. From Monday through Saturday, the museum is open from 10 a. m. –5 p. m. it is open from 11 –6 p. m. on Sundays and it is closed on December 25 and January 1. The museum comprises two buildings, the West Building and the East Building linked by an underground passage
6.
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
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The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences is the George Washington Universitys liberal arts and sciences college. The Columbian College bears the name of the George Washington University when it was chartered by the United States Congress in 1821. The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences is the college of the George Washington University. Founded as the Columbian College on February 9,1821 by an act of Congress, originally, the college consisted of two departments, the Theological Department and Classical Department, with individual professors covering other subjects such as mathematics and anatomy. With the dawn of the Civil War in 1861, the majority of the left the college to fight for the Confederacy. The Columbian College contains many centers and institutes, including the Biostatistics Center. The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences houses 42 academic departments, today, the Columbian College offers the following baccalaureate degrees, Ten years after the Columbian College was chartered, the college conferred its first Master of Arts degree in 1831. Columbian College was also one of the first institutions in the United States to award a doctorate, however, the graduate program was formally established in 1905
7.
William Wilson Corcoran
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William Wilson Corcoran was an American banker, philanthropist, and art collector. He started the Corcoran Gallery of Art and his father was born in Ireland, settled in Georgetown in 1788, and established a leather business. Instead of finishing his education, he joined the family business, Corcoran joined the Potomac Lodge No.5 of Free and Accepted Masons in Georgetown and was raised as a Master Mason on July 26,1827. In 1835, Corcoran eloped and married Louise Morris, who was the daughter of Commodore Charles Morris and his wife died in 1840, but not before they had three children — Harriet Louise, Louise Morris, and Charles Morris. The middle child, Louise Morris, was the one to survive into adulthood, she later married George Eustis. After his wife died in 1841, Corcoran chose not to marry again. He died on February 24,1888 in Washington, DC. Corcoran entered business at the age of 17, Corcoran brothers established a wholesale auction and commission business, but their ventures failed after the Panic of 1819. He worked in family business, and in 1828, he took control of large amount of real estate from his father. Corcoran was employed as a clerk at the Bank of Columbia at Georgetown branch, in 1837, Corcoran established a brokerage firm on Pennsylvania Avenue at 15th Street. He was successful and in 1840 entered into a partnership with George Washington Riggs, the Corcoran and Riggs private banking firm enjoyed the patronage of Treasury Secretary Levi Woodbury and prospered after it re-sold to investors $5 million of U. S. Treasury notes in 1843. In 1845, it purchased the former Second Bank of the United States building located on 15th Street at New York Avenue. In Spring 1847, the Corcoran and Riggs sold to investors at home, in 1854, Corcoran retired from Corcoran and Riggs to focus on his investments in real estate, land grants, armaments, railroads, as well as pursue pleasure and philanthropic endeavors. In 1854, Corcoran was able to retire with a fortune and devote himself to art. In 1848, Corcoran had purchased 15 acres of land for Oak Hill Cemetery and he organized the Oak Hill Cemetery Company to oversee the cemetery, which was formally incorporated by Act of Congress on March 3,1849. Corcoran paid for the construction of a Gothic Revival chapel in Oak Hill Cemetery, Corcoran also established a $10,000 fund, administered by the Benevolent Society, to purchase firewood for the poor in Georgetown. Corcoran also contributed to a fund to purchase George Washingtons Mount Vernon estate, after his family could no longer keep it up, one of William Wilson Corcorans longtime business associate and friend was the renowned George Peabody. In contrast to contemporary art patrons, Corcoran was not exclusively interested in European works. Before it was ready, however, the Civil War began, and Corcoran, a Southern sympathizer, left Washington for Paris, architect James Renwick was commissioned in 1859 to a museum building to house William Wilson Corcoran’s growing art collection
8.
Washington Monument
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It is the tallest monumental column in the world if all are measured above their pedestrian entrances. Although the stone structure was completed in 1884, internal ironwork, the knoll, a difference in shading of the marble, visible approximately 150 feet or 27% up, shows where construction was halted and later resumed with marble from a different source. The original design was by Robert Mills, but he did not include his proposed colonnade due to a lack of funds, despite many proposals to embellish the obelisk, only its original flat top was altered to a pointed marble pyramidion, in 1884. Upon completion, it became the worlds tallest structure, a previously held by the Cologne Cathedral. The monument held this designation until 1889, when the Eiffel Tower was completed in Paris, the monument was damaged during the 2011 Virginia earthquake and Hurricane Irene in the same year and remained closed to the public while the structure was assessed and repaired. After 32 months of repairs, the National Park Service and the Trust for the National Mall reopened the Washington Monument to visitors on May 12,2014, as of September 2016, the monument has been closed indefinitely due to reliability issues with the current elevator system. On December 2,2016, the National Park Service announced that the monument would be closed until 2019 in order to modernize the elevator. The $2 to 3 million project will correct the elevators ongoing mechanical, electrical and computer issues, the National Park Service has also requested funding in its FY2017 Presidents Budget Request to construct a permanent screening facility for the Washington Monument. The Washington Monument is expected to re-open to visitors in 2019, even his erstwhile enemy King George III called him the greatest character of the age. At his death in 1799 he left a legacy, he exemplified the core ideals of the American Revolution. Washington was the unchallenged public icon of American military and civic patriotism, starting with victory in the Revolution, there were many proposals to build a monument to Washington. After his death, Congress authorized a memorial in the national capital. The Republicans were dismayed that Washington had become the symbol of the Federalist Party and they also blocked his image on coins or the celebration of his birthday. Further political squabbling, along with the North-South division on the Civil War, by that time, Washington had the image of a national hero who could be celebrated by both North and South, and memorials to him were no longer controversial. As early as 1783, the Continental Congress had resolved That an equestrian statue of George Washington be erected at the place where the residence of Congress shall be established, currently, there are two equestrian statues of President Washington in Washington, D. C. Ten days after Washingtons death, a Congressional committee recommended a different type of monument, John Marshall, a Representative from Virginia proposed that a tomb be erected within the Capitol. Progress toward a memorial began in 1832. That year, which marked the 100th anniversary of Washingtons birth, in 1836, after they had raised $28,000 in donations, they announced a competition for the design of the memorial
9.
Eliphalet Frazer Andrews
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He received many commissions to copy images of famous Americans, those copies are displayed by federal, state and local institutions, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Born in Steubenville, Ohio, to Dr, following the election of his friend Rutherford B. Hayes as President Andrews moved to Washington, D. C. William Wilson Corcoran hired Andrews to establish an art instruction curriculum at his Corcoran School of Art, Andrews served as its director, 1877–1902, and later as the Corcoran Art Gallery until his death. Several federal government agencies, mostly through the Architect of the Capitol, Edward Clark, thus, several of his portraits, are in The White House collection, including posthumous full-length portraits of Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Johnson. His Poppies and Edge of a Stream are at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, former Kentucky Lieutenant Governor John C. Underwood, President of the United Confederate Veterans commissioned Andrews to make twenty portraits of prominent Confederates for a proposed Confederate Museum in Richmond, the project was embroiled in litigation, and eleven paintings were sold in 1910 for unpaid storage fees by a Covington, Kentucky warehouse. Most ended up in Virginia, but three are in the collection of the Kentucky Museum at Western Kentucky University, perhaps the most famous paintings therein are the Four Seasons of the Confederacy murals by Charles Hoffbauer. In 1895 Andrews married Marietta Fauntleroy Minnigerode and she was the daughter of Charles Ernest Frederick Minnigerode, rector of St. Pauls Church in Richmond, Virginia and active in the Daughters of the Confederacy. E. F. Andrews was a member of the Metropolitan Club in Washington, D. C. Andrews died in Washington, D. C. on March 15,1915, and his remains were returned to Steubenville, Ohio. In 1917, his widow presented his portrait of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest to the Confederate Memorial in Chattanooga, Tennessee
