Editing College of William & Mary (section)

===Late 19th century===
Following the restoration of the Union, Virginia was destitute. The college's 16th president, [[Benjamin Stoddert Ewell]], finally reopened the school in 1869 using his funds, but the college closed again in 1882 due to insufficient funding. In 1888, William & Mary resumed operations under an amended charter when the [[Commonwealth of Virginia]] passed an act<ref>{{cite web |url=http://swem.wm.edu/departments/special-collections/exhibits/exhibits/charter/normal/ |title=Earl Gregg Swem Library Special Collections |publisher=Swem.wm.edu |access-date=September 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011191341/http://swem.wm.edu/departments/special-collections/exhibits/exhibits/charter/normal |archive-date=October 11, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> appropriating $10,000 to support the college as a teacher-training institution. [[Lyon Gardiner Tyler]], son of US President and alumnus [[John Tyler]], became the 17th president of the college following Ewell's retirement. Tyler and his successor [[J. A. C. Chandler]] expanded the college. 

In 1896, [[Minnie Braithwaite Jenkins]] was the first woman to attempt to take classes at William & Mary, although her petition was denied.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Freehling |first=Alison |date=October 2, 1996 |title=Light of Learning to Shine in Teacher's Memory |url=https://www.dailypress.com/1996/10/02/light-of-learning-to-shine-in-teachers-memory/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220212619/https://articles.dailypress.com/1996-10-02/news/9610020089_1_women-s-studies-william-and-mary-lectures |archive-date=February 20, 2018 |access-date=June 27, 2024 |url-status=live |website=Daily Press}}</ref> In March 1906, the General Assembly passed an act taking over the college grounds, and it has remained publicly supported ever since.