No. 4

BULLETIN OF

ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE IN ANNAPOLIS

CHARTER OF

THE COLLEGE

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND

DECEMBER, 1951

Founded as King William's School, 1696. Chartered as St. John's College, 1785

Volume III DECEMBER, 1951 Number 4

Entered as Secondi=lass matter, February 18, 1949, at the Post Office, at Annapolis, Maryland, under the Act of August 24, 1912.

History St. John's College was founded in 1696 as King William's School

in accordance with a Petitionary Act for free-schools of the General Assembly of the Colony of Maryland. Following the Revolutionary War, the General Assembly of the new State of Maryland granted a Charter to St. John's College pursuant to and as a part of Chapter 37 of the Laws of Maryland of 1784. This Charter was subsequently amended by the General Assembly through Resolution No. 41 of 1832.

The Visitors and Governors of St. John's College deemed it de­sirable in 1950 to eliminate from the Charter certain extraneous and obsolete matter and to make certain other amendments con­sistent with present requirements and conditions. It was the opinion of the Attorney General of Maryland that the original Charter of the College was subject to the general Corporation Laws of Mary­land and might accordingly be amended by the Visitors and Gover­nors, pursuant to these Laws, without legislative action by the General Assembly. The Chairman of the. Board of Visitors and Governors therefore appointed a Charter Committee on September 16, 1950, and instructed them to pr·epare the necessary amendments, while retaining as much of the original Charter as was practicable.

This Committee reported at the regular quarterly meeting of the Board of Visitors and Governors on December 9, 1950, submitting copies of the proposed amendments to the Charter. The specific changes recommended were:

1. To increase the limitation of the membership on the Board from 24 to 30, including the Governor of the State of Maryland, President of the Senate of the State of Maryland and the Speaker of the House of Delegates of the State of Maryland as ex-officio members during the respective terms in office of each.

2. To remove the geographical restriction as to residence of members of the Board.

3. To eliminate the requirement that the Board examine the candidates for degrees.

4. To provide for shortening the corporate name of the College from the Visitors and Governors of St. John's College in the State of Maryland, to St. John's College.

5. To eliminate the requirement that the Judges of the Court of Appeals should be members of the Board.

6. To eliminate obsolete and irrelevant provisions of the old Charter.

In compliance with the Laws of the State of Maryland and the opinion of the Attorney General of Maryland, the Board then passed a Resolution declaring it advisable to amend the Charter of St. John's College by adopting the document recommended by the Charter Committee, and setting February 17, 1951, as the date for a meeting of the members of the Board of Visitors and Governors of St. John's College to take final action in the matter. The list of amendments, duly verified, was then filed with the State Tax Commission of Mary­land, thus completing the necessary preliminaries.

On February 17, 1951, the regular quarterly meeting of the Board of Visitors and Governors was adjourned and a meeting of the mem­bers called. The members thereupon unanimously approved the amendments to the Charter which had been recommended by the Board of Visitors and Governors. The amended Charter, which retains the original numbering of paragraphs, follows.

Charter of St. ] ohn' s College WHEREAS, the Charter of St. John's College was duly granted

pursuant to and as a part of Chapter 37 of the Laws of Maryland of 1784 by the General Assembly of Maryland, and was amended by the said General Assembly by Resolution No. 41 of 1832; and

WHEREAS, said Charter as so amended contains certain extraneous and obsolete provisions; and

WHEREAS, the Visitors and Governors of St. John's College have been advised by the Attorney General of Maryland that the said Charter is subject to the general Corporation Laws of Maryland and accordingly may be amended by the Visitors and Governors pursuant to said Laws; and

WHEREAS, the Visitors and Governors of St. John's College deem it desirable to eliminate from said Charter so amended the extraneous and obsolete matter contained therein, and to make certain other amendments thereto consistent with present requirements and con­ditions, while retaining so much of the Original Charter as is practi­cable:

Now, THEREFORE, Be It Resolved:

That the Charter of St. John's College be amended to read as follows:

WHEREAS, institutions for the liberal education of youth in the principles of virtue, knowledge and useful literatme are of the highest benefit to society,' in order to train up and perpetuate a succession of able and honest men for discharging the various offices and duties of life, both civil and religious, with usefulness and repu­tation, and such institutions of learning have accordingly been pro­moted and encouraged by the wisest and best regulated States; And whereas, it appears to this General Assembly that many public spirited individuals, from an earnest desire to promote the founding a college or seminary of learning on the Western Shore of this

State have subscribed and procured subscriptions to a considerable amount, and there is reason to believe that very large additions will be obtained to the same throughout the different counties of the said Shore if they were made capable in law to receive and apply the same towards founding and carrying on a college or general seminary of learning with such salutary plan and with such legisla­tive assistance and direction as the General Assembly might think fit, and this General Assembly, highly approving those generous exertions of individuals, are desirous to em brace the present favor­able occasion of peace and prosperity for making lasting provision for the encouragement and advancement of all useful knowledge and literature through every part of this State;

BE IT ENACTED:

II. That a college or general seminary of learning by the name of "St. John's College" be established on the said Western Shore upon the following fundamental and inviolable principles; namely, first, the said college shall be founded and maintained forever upon a most liberal plan for the benefit of youth of every religious denomi­nation, who shall be freely admitted to equal privileges and advan­tages of education and to all the literary honors of the college, accord­ing to their merit without requiring or enforcing any religious or civil test, or urging their attendance upon any particular religious worship or service other than what they have been educated in or have the consent and approbation of their parents or guardians to attend; nor shall any preference be given in the choice of a Princi­pal, Vice-Principal or other Professor, Master or Tutor in said college on account of his particular religious profession, having regard solely to his moral character and literary abilities and other necessary quali­fications to fill the place for which he shall be chosen.

IV. That the governing body or board of said College shall con­sist of not more than thirty nor less than thirteen Visitors and Governors, to be chosen and to hold office in such manner as the said Visitors and Governors may determine and prescribe by their fundamental ordinances; provided, however, that the Governor of the State of Maryland, the President of the Senate of Maryland, and the Speaker of the House of Delegates of Maryland, shall act ex officio as three of the total number of Visitors and Governors of said College during their respective terms in said offices; and that

the said Visitors and Governors and their successors duly chosen shall be and are hereby declared to be one community, corporation and body politic to have continuance forever by the name of

ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE and by the same name they shall have perpetual succession.

VII. That if the City of Annapolis should be fixed upon as a proper place for establishing the said intended college, this General Assembly give and grant, and upon that condition do hereby give and grant to the Visitors and Governors of the said College by the name of "The Visitors and Governors of Saint John's College in the State of Maryland," and their successors all that four acres within the City of Annapolis purchased for the use of the public and conveyed on the 2nd day of October, 1744, by Stephen Bordley, Esq., to Thos. Bladen, Esq., then Governor, to have and to hold the said four acres of land with the appurtenances to the sa~d Visi­tors and Governors and their successors for the only use, benefit and behoof of the said college and seminary of universal learning forever.

VIII. That the said Visitors and Governors and their successors by the same name shall be able and capable in law to purchase, have and enjoy to them and their successors in fee, or for any other less estate or estates, any lands, tenements, rents, annuities, pensions or other hereditaments by the gift, grant, bargain, sale, alienation, enfeoffment, release, confirmation, or devise of any person or per­sons, bodies politic or corporate capable to make the same, and such lands, tenements, rents, annuities, pensions or other hereditaments or any less estates, rights or interests of or in the same at their pleasure to grant, alien, sell and transfer in such manner and form as they shall think meet and convenient for the furtherance of the said college; And also that they may take and receive any sum or sums of money, and any kind, manner or portion of goods and chattels that shall be given, sold or bequeathed to them by any person or persons, bodies politic or corporate capable to make a gift, sale or bequest thereof and employ the same towards erecting, setting up and maintaining the said college in such manner as they shall judge most necessary and convenient for the instruction, improvement and education of youth in the vernacular and learned languages, and generally in any kind of literature, arts and sciences, which they shall think proper to be taught for training up good,

useful and accomplished men for the service of their country, in church and state.

IX. That the said Visitors and Governors and their successors by the name aforesaid shall be able in law to sue and be sued plead and be impleadable in any court or courts, before any judge' judges, or justices within this State and elsewhere in all and all manner of suits, complaints, pleas, causes, matters and demands of whatsoever kind, nature or form they be and all and every other matter and thing therein to do in as full and effectual a manner as any other person or persons, bodies politic or corporate within this State or any of the United States of America in like cases may or can do.

X. That the said Visitors and Governors and their successors shall have full power and authority to have, make and use one common and public seal and likewise one privy seal with such devices and inscriptions as they shall think proper, and to ascertain, fix and regulate the uses of both seals, by their own laws and the same seals or either of them to change, break, alter and renew at their pleasure.

XI. That the said Visitors and Governors and their successors from time to time and at all times hereafter, forever, shall have full power and authority to constitute and appoint in such manner as they shall think best and most convenient, a principal, a vice­principal of the said college and professors with proper tutors and assistants for instructing the students and scholars of the said semi­nary in all the liberal arts and sciences, and in the ancient and modern tongues and languages; and the said principal, vice-principal and professors so constituted and appointed from time to time shall be known and distinguished forever as one learned body or faculty by the name of "The Principal, Vice-Principal and Professors of St. John's College in the State of Maryland"; and by that name shall be capable of exercising such powers and authorities as the Visitors and Governors of the said college and their successors shall by their ordinances think necessary to delegate to them for the instruction, discipline and government of the said seminary and of all the stu­dents, scholars, ministers and servants belonging to the same.

XIV. That a majority of the said Visitors and Governors for the time being and duly assembled at any meeting upon due notice

given to the whole body of Visitors and Governors shall have full power and authority to make fundamental ordinances for the gov­ernment of the said college and the instruction of youth as aforesaid, and by these ordinances to appoint such a number of their own body not less than seven, as they may think proper for transacting all general and necessary business of the said seminary and makjng temporary rules for the government of the same; and also by the said fundamental ordinances to delegate to the principal, vice­principal and professors such powers and authorities as they may think best for the standing government of the said seminary and of the execution of the ordinances and rules of the same; provided always that they be not repugnant to the form of government or any law of this State.

XV. And for animating and encouraging the students of said college to a laudable diligence, industry and progress in useful literature and science, be it enacted that the said Visitors and Governors and their successors shall by a written mandate, under their privy seal and the hand of someone of the Visitors and Gov­ernors to be chosen annually as their President, according to the ordinance to be made for that purpose, have full power and authority to direct the principal, vice-principal and professors to hold public commencements either on stated annual days, or occasionally as the future ordinances of the said seminary may direct and at such com­mencements to admit any of the students in the said college or any other persons meriting the same (whose names shall be severally inserted in the same mandate) to any degree or degr·ees in any of the faculties, arts and sciences and liberal professions to which persons are usually admitted in other colleges or universities in America or Europe; And it is hereby enacted that the principal, or in the case of his death or absence, the vice-principal, and in case of the death or absence of both, the senior professor who may be pres­ent, shall make out and sign with his name diplomas or certificates of the admission to such degree or degrees, which shall be sealed with the public or greater seal of the said corporation or college and delivered to the graduates as honorable and perpetual testi­monials of such admission; which diplomas, if thought necessary for doing greater honor to such graduates, shall also be signed with the names of the different professors or as many of them as can con­veniently sign the same; provided always that no student or students

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within the said college shall ever be admitted to any such degree or degrees, or have their name inserted in any mandate for a degree until such student or students have been first duly examined, and thought worthy of the same.

XVI. That the ordinances which shall be from tjme to time made by the Visitors and Governors of the said college and their successors with an account of their other proceedings and of the management of the estate and moneys committed to their trust, shall when required be laid before the General Assembly for their inspection and examination, but in case at any time hereafter through oversight, or otherwise through misapprehension and mistaken con­structions of the powers, liberties and franchises in this Charter or Act of Incorporation granted, or intended to be granted, any ordi­nance should be made by the said corporation of Visitors and Gov­ernors or any matters done and transacted by the corporation con­trary to the tenor hereof, it is enacted that although such ordinances, acts and doings shall in themselves be null and void, yet they shall not, however, in any courts of law, or by the General Assembly, be deemed, taken, interpreted or adjudged into an avoidance or forfeiture of this Charter and Act of Incorporation, but the same shall be and remain unhurt, inviolate and entire unto the said corporation of Visitors and Governors in perpetual succession; and all their acts conformable to the powers, true intent and meaning hereof shall be and remain in full force and validity, the nullity and avoidance of such illegal acts to the contrary in any wise not­withstanding.

XVII. That this Charter and Act of Incorporation and every part thereof shall be good and available in all things in the law according to the true intent and meaning thereof, and shall be construed, reputed and adjudged in all cases most favorably on the behalf and for the best benefit and behoof of the said Visitors and Governors and their successors, so as most effectually to answer the valuable end of this Act of Incorporation towards the general advancement and promotion of useful knowledge, science and virtue.

XVIII. That no person shall act as Visitor and Governor, or as principal or vice-principal or as professor in the said college before he shall take the oath of fidelity and support to this State required by the Constitution and by laws of this State.