The Religious Society of Friends established the town of Whittier in 1887 and the Whittier Academy the same year. Whittier College grew from the academy and was chartered by the State of California in 1901 with a student body of 25.


Both the town and the college were named in honor of John Greenleaf Whittier, prominent Quaker, poet, and leader in the abolitionist movement.
Although the college is no longer affiliated with the Society of Friends, the college is proud of its Quaker heritage, which is evidenced in many ways, including respect for the individual, commitment to a diverse student body and faculty, freedom of conscience, and respect for human differences.

The college began construction on its first building, Founders Hall, in 1893. Initially, Founders Hall housed all classes, dormitories and the library.
Several buildings were later added to the college, including a gymnasium and the Redwood Building, the latter housing female students and the college library.


During the 1920s Whittier became an athletic powerhouse in California, playing teams from institutions its own size as well as universities such as USC, UCLA and Cal Berkeley.

During the 1930s, the college acquired the Mendenhall building, originally belonging to the Elks Lodge. That building housed the administrative offices and the library.

Also during the 1930s the college began to detach itself from the control of the Quaker Yearly Meeting and was independent by the end of the 1930s.

World War II caused the number of male students to drop and then swell as veterans returned when the war ended. This began a prosperous time for the college, and a construction boom.

Most of the major buildings on campus have been built since the late 1940s—three in the 1940s and 1950s, seven in the 1960s, three in the 1970s and 1980s, and five since 1990.
 

W H I T T I E R   C O L L E G E
13406 Philadelphia » P.O. Box 634 » Whittier, CA 90608-0634
Main: (562) 907-4200 » Fax: (562) 698-4067