Hunter College

History

Hunter College grew out of an 1866 resolution by the New York City Department of Public Instruction to establish a high school and normal college for female graduates of the city's common schools. Four years later, on February 14, 1870, the Female Normal and High School, which was soon renamed the Normal College of the City of New York, began operations. Thomas H. Hunter, an Irish-born educator and social reformer, was appointed to be the college's first president and is credited today as its founder.

In 1888, the New York State legislature passed the Cantor Bill, an appropriations bill that included provisions for Normal College's incorporation. It was at this point that the college's curriculum expanded to include two tracks: the original teacher-training track and a new "classical" track.