Definition of college of william and mary in English English dictionary
State-supported college in Williamsburg, Va. The second-oldest institution of higher education in the U.S. (after Harvard University), it was chartered in 1693 by King William III and Queen Mary II. Its alumni include Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, James Monroe, John Tyler, and Gen. Winfield Scott. George Washington was the college's first American chancellor, from 1788 to 1799. The honour society Phi Beta Kappa was organized as a social fraternity there in 1776