In 1830, Indiana College conferred diplomas to four students—the first graduating class. By 1850, that number had reached 200. In partnership with Indiana University’s Office of the Bicentennial, the IU Bloomington Office of the Registrar compiled and published the biographies of the first 200 graduates of the institution. They constitute the beginning of an alumni body that has grown increasingly diverse, now numbering over 800,000 individual degree recipients and over one million degrees conferred since 1830.
Since the first 200 graduates were men, we researched the biographies of the first 200 women as well. Life for women was very different in the late 19th century than it is now. Career opportunities were limited and many women acted as housewives in support of their husbands. Using various online sources and drawing on family relationships, their biographies are rich and rewarding due to the exploits of family members as well as their own.
Collected here are the first 200 men, the first 200 women, and the first honorary degrees. If you have questions or corrections to this material, please see the contact information on the Contact Us page.
