'''The University of Chicago''' was founded in 1890 by the American Baptist Education Society and oil magnate [[John D. Rockefeller]], who later described the University of Chicago as “the best investment I ever made.” The land for the new university, in the recently annexed suburb of Hyde Park, was donated by [[Marshall Field]], owner of the [[Chicago]] department store that bears his name.
Although the University was established by [[Baptists]], it was non-denominational from the start. It also welcomed women and minority students at a time when many universities did not.