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History

Founded in 1881 by a maverick preacher and a swashbuckling Civil War general, Drake University has been home to leaders and luminaries for more than 125 years. Here’s a look at some of the characters and events that shaped life at Iowa’s largest private school:

George T. Carpenter

George T. Carpenter, a teacher and preacher in the Disciples of Christ church, moved a struggling college from Oskaloosa, Iowa to Des Moines in 1881. Carpenter pushed for what was then a novel idea: a well-rounded education that included emphasis on sciences and law alongside traditional studies in faith and literature. Under Carpenter, Drake welcomed students of all races and genders – and international students within its first five years. Drake was co-educational from the first day with 60 men and 17 women in its inaugural class.
Francis Marion Drake

Francis Marion Drake, the man whose name the University bears, was a classic 19th century adventurer. He drove cattle from Iowa to California, rode steam ships to Panama and was a general for the Union in the Civil War. He survived a terrible war wound to his thigh to become a railroad magnate, governor of Iowa and the greatest booster of the ambitious private University in Des Moines.
Daniel Morehouse

Daniel Morehouse was a Drake’s own Renaissance man. He transferred to Drake in 1897, played center on Drake’s “Champions of the West” football team in 1898, discovered a comet in his graduate studies, rose to become president of Drake and friends with Eleanor Roosevelt – bringing her to speak on campus twice – and raising the money to build Drake Stadium, Cowles Library and the Drake Observatory.
Johnny Brigh

Johnny Bright was the greatest athlete in Drake history – a star in football, basketball and track. He led the nation in total offense twice and was a Heisman Trophy favorite before his jaw was broken in what Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs in the Des Moines Register proved was an intentional attack. After years of denying the incident, Oklahoma State formally apologized for the incident in 2006. Drake will name the new field at rejuvenated Drake Stadium after Bright this fall.
Madelyn Levitt

Madelyn Levitt, a Des Moines native and Roosevelt High School alumna, became Drake’s best friend in the late 1980s. She became the first woman in America to lead a successful campaign of $100 million or more for a university. With tireless energy and spunk and a passion for Drake that rivals even the most steadfast of alumni, Levitt led the University to successful campaigns of $130 million and $190 million and remains a top supporter of Drake today. The grand meeting hall on the second floor of Drake’s Old Main is named in her honor as are other landmarks in the greater Des Moines area.