History and Traditions
New Orleans = Tulane
New Orleans in 1834 was one of the busiest international port cities in the world. But the city wasn’t just importing goods from across the world, they were also importing deadly diseases like yellow fever, malaria and smallpox. In an effort to treat these diseases, learn more about them and train more doctors, the Medical College of Louisiana was formed.
By 1847, the Medical College of Louisiana was a newly established public institution, the University of Louisiana. But in 1884, wealthy merchant Paul Tulane, a native of Princeton, N.J., wanted to express his appreciation for the city that made him his fortune. He donated more than $1 million in land, cash and securities “for the promotion and encouragement of intellectual, moral and industrial education.” His generous gift transformed the University of Louisiana into Tulane University. In 1886, the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College was established as Tulane’s co-ordinate college for women.