Indiana University and The American Presidency

From its first signs of life, Indiana University has interacted with and been impacted by the American presidency. In 1816, President James Madison chose Bloomington as the site of a state educational institution, which would become Indiana University.

During the rest of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, three presidents visited the Bloomington campus. Interactions between IU and the presidency continued through student correspondences, meetings at the White House, and close relationships between IU’s own presidents and the commander-in-chief.

Explore this timeline to discover how IU has interacted with the American presidency, from visits to correspondences and campaigns.

Due to website maintenance issues, the images in this timeline were removed in 2020. Please see the final slide for a list of related image numbers from IU Archives.