Stetson University: The First 100 Years by Gilbert L. Lycan

Florida's first private university, Stetson University was founded in 1883 by Henry A. DeLand, a New York philanthropist, as DeLand Academy. In 1887, the Legislature of the State of Florida enacted the Charter of DeLand University as an independent institution of higher learning. The university's name was changed in 1889 to honor John B. Stetson, the nationally-known hat manufacturer who gave generously of his time and means to advance the quality and reputation of the institution, and who served, with Mr. DeLand and others, as a founding trustee of the University. The first charter stated that the objective of the University should be "to promote the general interests of education, and to qualify its students to engage in the learned professions or other employments of society, and to discharge honorably and usefully the various duties of life."