NDSU was created out of a bill that Senator John E. Haggart introduced on January 20, 1890. It called for the development of an Agricultural College and Agricultural Experiment Station in Fargo. The bill passed on March 8, 1890, and the North Dakota Agricultural College became a reality on October 15th that year. While the name might suggest it only focused on farming, the college actually involved many areas of study, including the military.
The original Military Department consisted of five members, one of which was Professor Edward S. Keene. He gave the first military instruction in 1892 in College Hall, which is now Old Main. He was a professor from the University of Illinois who had first been employed as the Professor of Engineering and Physics. Keene organized a military company and served as its first Captain. Then in 1893, the Agricultural College Board found that in accordance with the Land-Grant Act, military instruction would be mandatory for male students. It consisted of 2 hours of instruction per week in drill, and students were required to attend in uniform. In 1895 Professor Kaufman became Captain, with Professors Hall and Hayden the Lieutenants, and two students as Sergeants.
The War Department assigned the college its first active duty military officer in February of 1897. He was Lieutenant C.G. French of the 15th U.S. Army Infantry, and he served as the commandant for the military department. While this was a big step for the department, it coincided with some changes that some found unpopular. A snippet from the College’s newspaper, the Spectrum, on this date in 1897, had one person complaining that on January 1st, 1898, drill would be required for all male students except seniors. Supposedly the administration made this decision to put the military on equal footing with the other departments. However, this detractor stated, “If certain students are to be excused there should be good reasons…” They also argued that “...half the value of the drill depends upon a full company…a company of fifty will do better work and with a better spirit than a company of half the number.”
Despite complaints over 100 years ago, the department continued to grow, producing top performing Lieutenants for the United States Army.
Dakota Datebook by Lucid Thomas
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