First Class: St. Cloud State's Class of 1871

On June 30, 1871, the 15 members of the Third State Normal School’s first graduating class gathered with an overflow crowd of more than 150 proud parents, faculty, Normal School Board members, and St. Cloud dignitaries to receive their degrees.

The Normal School, which evolved into the State Normal School at St. Cloud (1873), St. Cloud Teacher’s College (1921), St. Cloud State College (1957), and St. Cloud State University (1975) was established by an August 2, 1858 act of the First State Legislature of Minnesota creating three normal schools to provide well-trained teachers for public schools. The Third State Normal School opened its doors to 40 women and 10 men on September 15, 1869. Fully supported by the state of Minnesota, the normal schools charged no tuition for graduates who taught in Minnesota public schools for two years.

The first 15 graduates

About the exhibit

In all since 1871, St. Cloud State has awarded over 160,000 degrees. This exhibit highlights the first 15 students who graduated from St. Cloud State.

Included for each student is a biography. Lists of sources by student are available upon request. To view any image in enlarged form, simply click on the image.

Credits

Exhibit created by History graduate student Kyle Imdieke in summer 2019. Special thanks to University Archivist Tom Steman and the Stearns History Museum.