Whitworth, George Frederick, 1816-1907

In 1853 George Whitworth, a minister in the Ohio Valley, set off for the Western frontier to establish a college that would provide a “good English education and a thorough religious training.” Fifty families joined his mission trek to the Northwest. By the time they reached Oregon, only Whitworth’s family had persisted. It was 30 years before he was able to revive his dream of establishing a college. “In 1883, in the village of Sumner, in Washington Territory, George Whitworth founded Sumner Academy. Seven years later, in February 1890, the school was incorporated as Whitworth College.” The bulk of the folders in this file contain Whitworth’s diaries. In addition, there are diaries of his wife's and genealogies of the Whitworth family. Also, there is a record of the founding of Whitworth College.

From the guide to the George F. Whitworth Papers, 1816-1907, (Whitworth University Archives)