The New International Encyclopædia/Virginia Theological Seminary

VIRGINIA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. An important seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church, at Alexandria, Va. It had its origin in the theological class established at the College of William and Mary in 1821 and transferred to Alexandria in 1823. In 1827 the Seminary was removed to its present location, 2½ miles west of Alexandria. In 1854 it received from the Legislature a charter the provisions of which were enlarged in 1884. Since 1899 it has granted the degree B.D. to graduating students who have attained a certain high standing. In 1903 the faculty numbered 9, the students 45, and the alumni 1014, of whom 532 were living. The endowment fund amounted to $391,196, exclusive of a library fund, and the library comprised about 25,000 volumes. The entrance requirements are relatively high and the course of study occupies three years. The Seminary has had a considerable influence in missionary work, and of its alumni 27, in 1903, had been advanced to the episcopate, including Phillips Brooks, Bishop of Massachusetts, and Henry C. Potter, Bishop of New York.