Washington State University is established by the…

Washington State University is established by the Washington Legislature on March 28, 1890, less than five months after statehood as a land-grant college created under the Morrill Act, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862.

For the government, the stated mission of land-grant colleges is to teach practical disciplines “related to agriculture and the mechanic arts” for the nation's industrial and working classes had been supplemented by the Hatch Act of 1887, which called for the establishment of federally-supported agriculture experiment stations.

In light of this goal, the Washington legislature passes an act for the creation of the Agricultural College, Experiment Station and School of Science of the State of Washington and is then signed into law by the Governor, Elisha P. Ferry.

However, a second act of legislature will expand the school educational mission to include general arts and sciences.

The university and the experiment station will aid enterprise by improving farm management, conducting research, and teaching the skills needed to be better farmers.