- For other institutions called "Cumberland College," see Cumberland College
Cumberland College may refer to:*Cumberland College, Otago, a residential college for the University of Otago, in Dunedin, New Zealand*Cumberland College a defunct institution in Princeton, Kentucky...
.
Cumberland University is a private university in
Lebanon, TennesseeLebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, east of Nashville. Local residents have also called it "Cedar-City"...
founded in 1842. The current campus was built 1892-1896.
The University was founded by the
Cumberland Presbyterian ChurchThe Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Christian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening. In 2007, it had an active membership of less than 50,000 and about 800 congregations, the majority of which are concentrated in the United States...
. The original building, designed by
William StricklandWilliam Strickland , was a noted architect in nineteenth-century Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Nashville. He is noted as one of the founders of the Gothic revival movement when in 1823 he built Saint Stephen's Church in Philadelphia...
in 1844, housed schools of art, law and theology. The building was burned during the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
.
After the American Civil War, the University was briefly host to former
ConfederateThe Confederate States of America was a separatist political entity existing between 1861 to 1865, established by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States...
general and
Rogersville, TennesseeRogersville is a town in Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States. It was settled in 1775 by the grandparents of Davy Crockett and is the second-oldest town in the state. It is named for its founder, Joseph Rogers....
native
A. P. StewartAlexander Peter Stewart was a career United States Army officer, college professor, and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
, who taught during his post-war
UnionDuring the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three states which were not part of the secession attempt by the 11 states that tried to form the Confederacy...
parole.
Even in its early years, Cumberland University had a reputation for high-quality education.
- For other institutions called "Cumberland College," see Cumberland College
Cumberland College may refer to:*Cumberland College, Otago, a residential college for the University of Otago, in Dunedin, New Zealand*Cumberland College a defunct institution in Princeton, Kentucky...
.
Cumberland University is a private university in
Lebanon, TennesseeLebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, east of Nashville. Local residents have also called it "Cedar-City"...
founded in 1842. The current campus was built 1892-1896.
Early history
The University was founded by the
Cumberland Presbyterian ChurchThe Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Christian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening. In 2007, it had an active membership of less than 50,000 and about 800 congregations, the majority of which are concentrated in the United States...
. The original building, designed by
William StricklandWilliam Strickland , was a noted architect in nineteenth-century Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Nashville. He is noted as one of the founders of the Gothic revival movement when in 1823 he built Saint Stephen's Church in Philadelphia...
in 1844, housed schools of art, law and theology. The building was burned during the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
.
After the American Civil War, the University was briefly host to former
ConfederateThe Confederate States of America was a separatist political entity existing between 1861 to 1865, established by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States...
general and
Rogersville, TennesseeRogersville is a town in Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States. It was settled in 1775 by the grandparents of Davy Crockett and is the second-oldest town in the state. It is named for its founder, Joseph Rogers....
native
A. P. StewartAlexander Peter Stewart was a career United States Army officer, college professor, and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
, who taught during his post-war
UnionDuring the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three states which were not part of the secession attempt by the 11 states that tried to form the Confederacy...
parole.
Even in its early years, Cumberland University had a reputation for high-quality education. Its former
law schoolA law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- United States:...
, the
Cumberland School of LawCumberland School of Law is an ABA accredited law school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama and is the 11th oldest law school in the U.S. It is 160 years old and has more than 11,000 graduates...
, was at one time was reputed to have had more of its alumni elected to
CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
than any other in the South.
Cumberland School of Law
For many years the law school was located in historic Caruthers Hall, named for
Robert Looney CaruthersRobert Looney Caruthers was a distinguished attorney and politician who was elected governor of the state of Tennessee. He is buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery in Lebanon, Tennessee.-Career:...
, a founder of Cumberland University. The school fell on hard times during the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, however, as was common with many smaller private colleges, and was slow to recover, being forced to sell the law school to what is now
Samford UniversitySamford University is a private, coeducational, Alabama Baptist-affiliated university located in Homewood, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, United States, and is home to the Howard College of Arts and Sciences, Cumberland School of Law, McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Brock School of Business, Ida V....
in
Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham is the largest city in the state of Alabama in the United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County and includes part of Shelby County. According to a 2007 estimate, the city had a population of 229,800 The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, as of the 2008 census estimates,...
in 1962 and to operate only as a
junior collegeThe term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through grade 12. Maharashtra, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka however, have a system of junior colleges where, after taking the 10th grade board exams ,...
until the 1980s when
universityA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
status could be restored.
Athletics
Cumberland football began on October 26, 1894 with a 6-6 tie with Peaboby an finish that first year with a 2-1-1 season record. The early days of Cumberland football were very promising. The pinnacle of the early days of CU football was the 1903 season that began with a 6-0 win over Vanderbilt then a 6-0 loss to Sewanee and continued with a five day road trip that fished with victories over Tennessee (Medical)(86-0), Tulane (28-0), LSU (41-0), Alabama (44-0), and Grant of Chattanooga (92-0). Cumberland would play a postseason game against Coach John Heisman's Clemson team on Thanksgiving Day that ended in a 11-11 tie and gave Coach A.L. Phillips and Cumberland University the Championship of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. That game was the first invitational post-season championship football game in the South. Cumberland also won the Smoky Mountain Conference Championships in 1932, 1933, 1934 and 1935. Ironically, Cumberland may well be best-known for being on the losing end of the most lopsided
college footballCollege football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
game in history, 222-0 to
Georgia TechThe Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly called Georgia Tech, Tech, and GT, is a public, coeducational research university in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States...
in 1916. A more praiseworthy athletic effort was that of the 2004
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond...
team, which won the World Series of the
NAIAThe National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA permits membership to colleges and universities...
; the 2006 team was runner-up in this event. The
footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
team is a member of the
Mid-South ConferenceThe Mid-South Conference is an athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions are located in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky....
. In 2008 the Football team won a share of the Mid-South Western Championship. Other intercollegiate sports are conducted under the auspices of the
TranSouth Athletic ConferenceThe TranSouth Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference for smaller colleges and universities located in the Southern United States...
, which does not contest football. In addition, Cumberland achieved a top-ten finish at the National Collegiate Cycling Association's National Championship, its women's basketball team finished as NAIA National Tournament Runner-Up in 2007, and lastly Cumberland achieved a National Tournament appearance for the No. 17-ranked Men's Tennis Team in 2007.
Notable alumni
The school's alumni include over 80 congressmen and 30 college presidents.
- Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull was an American politician from the U.S. state of Tennessee. He is best-known as the longest-serving Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt...
, Secretary of StateThe United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence. The current Secretary of...
under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt from 1933 to 1944.
- Hon. Howell Edmunds Jackson
Howell Edmunds Jackson was an American jurist and politician. He served on the United States Supreme Court, in the U.S. Senate, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the Tennessee House of Representatives. He authored notable opinions on the Interstate Commerce Act and the...
, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, 1893-1895
- Thomas Gore, United States Senator from Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,617,316 residents in 2007 and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, 1907-1921; 1931-1937
- Hon. Horace H. Lurton
Horace Harmon Lurton was an American jurist who served for four years as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Appointed at the age of 65, Lurton was the oldest justice appointed to the Court.-Life:...
, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, 1910-1914
- Frank G. Clement
Frank Goad Clement served as Governor of Tennessee from 1953 to 1959, and again from 1963 to 1967.-Early life:...
, Governor of Tennessee, 1954-1959; 1963-1967
- Chris Smith, MLB
Major League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
Baltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , the Orioles have played their home games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The "Orioles" name refers to the official state...
2001 1st round draft pick pitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter who attempts to either make contact with it or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the pitcher is...
- Wright Patman
John William Wright Patman was a U.S. Congressman from Texas in Texas's 1st congressional district and chair of the United States House Committee on Banking and Currency .-Early life:...
, U.S. Congressman from TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
, 1929-1976
- George E. Allen
George Edward Allen was an American political operative who was involved in a famous football game while in college. He was born in Booneville, Mississippi. He earned a law degree at Cumberland University in Tennessee and then practiced law in Mississippi and Indiana, afterwards engaging in...
, head coach of the 1916 football team that lost 0-222 to Georgia TechThe Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly called Georgia Tech, Tech, and GT, is a public, coeducational research university in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States...
, later an advisor to President Harry Truman
- Thomas G. Abernethy, U.S. Congressman from Mississippi
Mississippi is a state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The state's name comes from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, and takes its name from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi . The state is heavily forested outside of the...
, 1943-1973
- Morgan M. Moulder
Morgan Moore Moulder was a U.S. Representative from Missouri.Born in Linn Creek, Missouri, Moulder attended the public schools of Linn Creek and Lebanon, Missouri, and the University of Missouri....
, U.S. Congressman from MissouriMissouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....
, 1948-1962
See also
- 1916 Cumberland vs. Georgia Tech football game
- Cumberland School of Law
Cumberland School of Law is an ABA accredited law school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama and is the 11th oldest law school in the U.S. It is 160 years old and has more than 11,000 graduates...
- Samford University
Samford University is a private, coeducational, Alabama Baptist-affiliated university located in Homewood, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, United States, and is home to the Howard College of Arts and Sciences, Cumberland School of Law, McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Brock School of Business, Ida V....
External links