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VMI History Timeline
Chronology of Significant Events
| 1839 March 29 The final version of the Virginia legislative act establishing a military school on the site of the Virginia State Arsenal in Lexington |
| 1839 November 11 VMI opens; 23 students matriculate and begin a 3 year course of study. Francis H. Smith assumes command as Superintendent. |
| 1842 July 4 The first graduation (16 students); these cadets followed a 3 year course. |
| 1845 Incoming cadets enrolled in a four year course |
| 1845 The first out-of-state cadet is enrolled (from Louisiana). However, the first significant number of non-Virginians did not arrive until 1858. |
| 1861 -1865 Civil War. Of the 1,973 alumni who were living at the beginning of the Civil War, 1,865 served (94.5%). Of those, 261 died (172 killed or mortally wounded in action, 89 from other causes while in service). Approximately 19 served in the Union Army. See detailed timeline for this era. |
| 1864 June 11 Federal troops, under the command of General David Hunter, entered Lexington. The Corps retreated to a camp in the Blue Ridge near Balcony Falls. VMI was burned the next day by Hunter's soldiers. On June 25 the Corps returned to Lexington, only to be furloughed two days later. |
| 1865 September VMI reopens and begins to repair war-damaged buildings |
| 1889 Francis H. Smith retires after serving 50 years as VMI’s first Superintendent |
| 1908 The Honor Court is established as a formal continuous body, although the honor system at VMI has a much longer history. |
| 1912 Degree options broadened to include Liberal Arts |
| 1919 Army ROTC unit is established (Infantry, Artillery, Cavalry) |
| 1939 VMI celebrates Centennial (100th anniversary) |
| 1941-1945 VMI sends hundreds of alumni and current students to fight in World War II. During postwar years adapts curriculum to accommodate returning veterans. |
| 1946 Air Force ROTC unit established |
| 1968 Racial integration. Five African-American cadets enroll in September. |
| 1972 The mandatory commissioning policy is explicitly established by VMI Superintendent LTG Richard L. Irby - in 1972 the VMI Catalog carries for the first time the statement "If offered at graduation, a commission must be accepted with its obligation for active duty." Although this idea was a widely accepted part of VMI culture prior to this date, and enrollment in ROTC classes was already mandatory, the requirement to accept a commission was not codified until 1972. (Mandatory commissioning was abolished January 27, 1990) |
| 1974 Navy ROTC unit established |
| 1989 VMI celebrates Sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) |
| 1990 Mandatory Commissioning policy abolished by Board of Visitors (January 27, 1990 BOV meeting). |
| 1990 March 1 The U. S. Justice Department files suit to require the admission of women to VMI. For the next 6 years the case known as U.S. v. Virginia will be heard at various levels |
| 1996 June 26 The U. S. Supreme Court rules on U.S. v. Virginia, requiring the admission of women to VMI |
| 1997 August The first women matriculate at VMI |
