University of Chicago
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.
Currently, it is known for its excellent and conservative economics department, which has won many Nobel Prizes in the past few decades. Free Market Economist Milton Friedman did his most important work while on the faculty.
Robert Hutchins, a pioneer of the Essentialist school of education was the president and chancellor of the university in the mid 20th century.
