GW Hatchet records

The GW Hatchet began in 1904, before that it was called the Weekly Columbian before that the Columbian Call. The newspaper celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2004.

When the idea for a campus newspaper surfaced in 1902, the university was not yet named for the first president, but was still called Columbian University. It was not yet located in Foggy Bottom, but instead occupied a few nondescript buildings at 15th and H Streets, N.W. The student body was not especially united by any great amount of college spirit. But Charles W. Needham, Columbian University's dynamic President, was a visionary with dreams of a new and greater University, and a campus newspaper was a step in the right direction. Realizing that the University needed a publication that would create new student interest and spirit, Jesse W. Barrett, a law student and the son of a Missouri country editor, suggested to President Needham that a university newspaper be founded. With Dr. Needham's encouragement, Barrett formed a partnership with Otho L. Ferris, a fellow law student from Iowa. Mr. Ferris became the publication's business manager, and "The Weekly Columbian" was launched. Two years later, the University's name was changed to The George Washington University and the newspaper took the name, The University Hatchet. The first issue of the "Hatchet" appeared on October 5, 1904, with the editors noting that the present time was a critical period in the life of the University: GW was endeavoring to plant itself in the front rank of educational institutions.

This note was written in 2005.