Alcorn State University was founded on the site originally occupied by Oakland College, a school for whites established by the Presbyterian Church.
Oakland College closed its doors at the beginning of the Civil War so that its students could answer the call to arms. Upon failing to reopen at the end of the war, the property was sold to the state of Mississippi and renamed Alcorn University in honor of James L. Alcorn in 1871, then governor of the state of Mississippi.
James Lusk Alcorn (November 4, 1816 - December 19, 1894) was a prominent political figure in Mississippi during the 19th century. He served in the state house of representatives and senate during the 1840's and 1850's. During the American Civil War, he rose to the rank of general in the Confederate Army by war's end. He later served as Republican Governor from 1870-1871, resigned to become U.S. Senator (1871-1877).