State University of Iowa

Illustration of a university building with black and white text

"The State University of Iowa" is the legal name of the University of Iowa (or UI, a name approved for everdy usage in 1964 by its Board of Regents). UI was founded in Iowa City, Iowa on February 25, 1847, just 59 days after Iowa was admitted to the Union, and was the oldest university in Iowa. 

The building featured on the button was the Old Capital Building, built in 1840 as the main government building for the state of Iowa. The building became the University’s first permanent building in 1857 when the state legislature moved to Des Moines, and it has since stood as the most prominent landmark at the center of the campus. Besides its National Historic Landmark status for its Greek Revival style, the building was also historically intriguing for that President Abraham Lincoln was eulogized on its steps on April 19, 1865.