Who was John Purdue and why is he buried on campus?
John Purdue provided land and funding to establish the university in 1869. He helped search for the specific location for the University and helped make the first purchase of lands. He also personally contracted and supervised construction of the first buildings. In fact, John Purdue was so devoted to and proud of the university he helped build that it was his wish to be permanently buried on campus. When he died in 1876, the University honored his wish, placing Purdue’s grave on Memorial Mall just east of University Hall (which was under construction at the time). John Purdue’s gravesite was restored and rededicated during Gala Week in 1991 with funds donated by the Class of 1946. John Purdue is the only man for whom a Big Ten school is named.
