1880s

The Beginning

Albany College of Pharmacy in the 1880s

The year was 1881. In May, Louis Pasteur demonstrated that he had developed an effective vaccine against anthrax in cattle and Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross.

On July 2, the country was rocked when President James Garfield was shot on his way to a seaside vacation in New Jersey. He died September 19, the second president in 16 years to be assassinated, making Chester A. Arthur the 21st President of ACP's first home, which it shared with Albany

the United States. Medical College, near the State Capitol.

In Albany, plans were being drawn up for a new college for the study of pharmacy. Although the seed for the college had been planted in the late 1870s by Willis Tucker, M.D., Ph.D., of the Albany Medical College faculty and Gustavus Michaelis, Ph.G., of the Albany Pharmaceutical Corp., there was little interest at the time and the proposal was shelved.

It wasn't until 1880 that the idea was revived by Archibald McClure, a wholesale druggist in the city, in concert with Albany Medical College Professor Jacob Mosher, M.D., and Board member Joseph Russell. Finally, on August 27, 1881, Albany College of Pharmacy of Union University was incorporated. At the time, ACP was one of only 14 colleges of pharmacy in the United States, with the closest schools located in New York City and Montreal. Albany proved to be an attractive location, providing fertile ground for new students. In the early years the College William Tucker (left) and Gustavus Michaelis. utilized lecture halls and labs at Albany

Medical College, then located in the former Lancaster School on Eagle Street, between Jay and Lancaster, and a block from Albany 's brand new State Capitol building. Students also could attend, free of charge, lectures in any of the other departments at Union or at the State Library and State Museum of Natural History.

The cost of living was reasonable compared to other cities. Although there were no facilities for living on campus, "good board and rooms could be had for $3.50-$6 per week" and students were advised that "by clubbing together and boarding themselves, they [could] live comfortably and pleasantly at even lower rates."

The first course of lectures at ACP began October 3, 1881 - two weeks to the day after President Garfield's death. It was attended by 21 students, including one woman, Sarah Simonet of Croghan, N.Y., a full 38 years before the United States passed the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.

The program was two years in duration, with students attending lectures five hours per week for 21 weeks from October through March. Lectures were held at 8:00 p.m. each evening and on Saturday afternoons. Each term, students purchased lecture tickets for $15 - a total of $30 for the full session - and paid a $3 matriculation fee and a $10 graduation fee.

Just three professors were on the roster that first year, each of them among the catalysts for the new College. Dr. Mosher served as Professor of Botany and Materia Medica as well as the first President of the Faculty. Dr. Tucker was Professor of Chemistry and Secretary. Michaelis was Professor of Pharmacy.

All were respected in their fields. Harry Duryea, Class of 1886, recalled one of the highlights of his years at ACP as "the time that Professor Michaelis invented a new way of making chloroform and showed the class how he did it." The Michaelis process utilized acetate of lime to manufacture chloroform and was just one of several discoveries by the popular faculty member.

Dr. Tucker later became well-known as a toxicologist and expert witness in deaths involving poisoning. Dr. Mosher, after serving as a surgeon during the Civil War, was Medical Director of the State of New York and, prior to his appointment at ACP, had been selected by President Rutherford B. Hayes to investigate the yellow fever epidemic.

Initially, those applying to the College did not have to complete an entrance exam for admission. To earn their Ph.G. - Graduate in Pharmacy - students had to be 21 years of age, show good moral character, attend two full courses of lectures, including lab practice, and have four years of experience with a reputable pharmacist. In addition, they had to present an original thesis - on a topic such as "Opium, Its Preparation and Properties" - as well as pass an oral exam. Upon graduation, they legally were entitled to practice pharmacy.

In the spring of 1882, Albert R. Griffith, Gustave Kreutzer and John S. Phillips, who had entered the new College as seniors the previous fall, were the first to earn degrees from ACP. The first Commencement exercises were held in the amphitheater of Albany Medical College and Program from ACP's first Commencement.

"social festivity prevailed" at a dinner held after-

wards at the Windsor Restaurant. By

the 1882-83 session, the class size had grown to 32 students and there were 10 graduates, an upward trend that continued in the ensuing years.

In 1883, Dr. Mosher passed away and Dr. Tucker replaced him as President. Alfred Huested (known as "Old Daddy" to at least of few of the students) was hired as the new Professor of Pharmacy and Secretary.

The Catalog of 1883-84 notes that "it will probably not be long before a college diploma or license from an examining board will be required to practice," and, indeed, in 1884 the 107th Session of the New York State Legislature created the State Board of Pharmacy to regulate the practice of pharmacy statewide, except in New York City and Kings and Erie counties.

That same year, the Trustees of ACP established a Board of Examiners composed of Huested and several local pharmacists to handle the examination of candidates for graduation.

By 1885-86, entrance requirements also had grown stricter, with knowledge of the "English branches" required and a preliminary exam, or grammar school certificate admitting the student to high school, was necessary.

Though the students attended classes several evenings a week, usually after a full day working in a local drug store, life at ACP was not all work and no play.

Henry Baringer, Class of 1886, remembered that "half a dozen of us marched down to Zeller's for lager beer one hot spring evening and ran into Professor Michaelis sitting behind a tall one at one of the tables, which may have embarrassed us but seemingly did not fuss the professor."

Students also enjoyed the "big oyster stews at Keeler's on Green Street , a swell feed for 15 cents and no tips."

The Association of the Alumni of Albany College of Pharmacy was formed early on, in 1883, and included any faculty who were not alumni of the College. Dues were $1 per year for first three years only. An Annual Meeting was held on Commencement evening, with a banquet "attended by members of the Association and friends of both sexes," and a prize awarded for the best student thesis.

By 1885, an alumni pin fashioned of 14-carat gold and enamel could be purchased by graduates for a mere $5. Throughout the 1880s, Commence- Henry Baringer '86

ment moved from Agricultural Hall, at State and

Lodge, to Jermain Hall, with entertainment that ran the gamut from music on Haines "celebrated upright piano" to selections from Gilbert and Sullivan's new comic opera, "The Mikado."

Commencement speakers varied as well. The first Commencement in 1882 featured Professor David Murray, Secretary of the Regents of the University of the State of New York, who told the graduates, "We want educated pharmacists. It is impossible that the duties involved in this business can be performed by ignorant and unskilled persons. For this reason I hailed the establishment of Albany College of Pharmacy."

In 1887, Prof. P.W. Bedford, a Professor at New York College of Pharmacy and Editor of the Pharmaceutical Record, gave this advice, in spite of the fact that ACP had been coeducational from its inception: "Marry early, it is not good for man to be alone . a home is the desire of all. And to the fair damsels before me . new homes cannot be organized without your consent, give your aid in this matter that the advice I have given the young men can be carried into effect."

By 1889, 22 graduates, including ACP's first international student, Huvand Hekimian of Asia Minor (the Asian part of modern Turkey ), marched down the aisle to the strains of the "Golden Rod Polka" as ACP got ready to enter the 1890s.