Campus: IU Bloomington

Just inside the main entrance to the Gresham Food Court is a memorial to former Secretary of State, John W. Foster. Foster first attended IU in 1851, when the school had only 88 students and 7 faculty. Despite its small size, Foster attributed much of his success to his university professors.

Foster graduated IU with a B.A. in 1855 and received an M.A. in 1857. He then went on to study law at Harvard, served as Brigadier General under Ulysses E. Grant in the American Civil War, served as editor of The Evansville Journal in 1864, became chairman of the Republican State Central Committee in 1872, and served as the American Minister to Mexico in 1873. In 1892, Foster served as Secretary of State to President Benjamin Harrison.

Foster returned to Indiana University in 1905 to receive an honorary LL.D. degree. John W. Foster Quadrangle was named in Foster’s honor in 1963. The refurbishment of his memorial consisted of a professional cleaning and restoration of the marble wall depicting his life’s story.