Southwestern Presbyterian College was founded in 1848 in Clarksville, Tennessee. Originally named the Masonic University of Tennessee, this institution was
renamed Stewart College, in honor of its president, William M. Stewart. In 1925, President Charles Diehl moved the campus to
Memphis, where the school became known as Southwestern, while the former campus in Clarksville was bought by the state of
Tennessee and became Austin Peay State University. In 1945 the College adopted the name Southwestern at Memphis, to
distinguish itself from other colleges and universities containing the name "Southwestern." In 1984, the college's name was
changed to Rhodes College in an attempt to give the school more prestige and to honor former college president Peyton Rhodes.