History of Washington, D.C.
Georgetown was established in 1751 when the Maryland legislature purchased sixty acres of land for the town from George Gordon and George Beall at the price of £280, while Alexandria, Virginia was founded in 1749. Situated on the fall line, Georgetown was the farthest point upstream to which oceangoing boats could navigate the Potomac River. The strong flow of the Potomac kept a navigable channel clear year-round; and, the daily tidal lift of the Chesapeake Bay, raised the Potomac's elevation in its lower reach; such that fully laden ocean-going ships could navigate easily, all the way to the Bay. Gordon had constructed a tobacco inspection house along the Potomac in approximately 1745. Warehouses, wharves, and other buildings were added, and the settlement rapidly grew. The Old Stone House, located in Georgetown, was built in 1765 and is the oldest standing building in the District. It did not take long before Georgetown grew into a thriving port, facilitating trade and shipments of tobacco and other goods from colonial Maryland. With the economic and population growth of Georgetown came also the founding of Georgetown University in 1789, at its founding drawing students from as far away as the West Indies.
Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service
The Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service is an academic center at Georgetown University in Washington, DC dedicated to the study of regional and national politics. It is housed within the McCourt School of Public Policy and was created in the fall of 2013 alongside the school's founding. In 2015, Mo Elleithee, the former communications director of the Democratic National Committee, was appointed its first Executive Director. In the fall of 2015, the Institute launched its first programs. The goal of the institute is to serve as an "incubator of political thought" in a bipartisan manner and to study such matters as leadership, governance, elections, and public engagement. It brings candidates for public office and incumbents, including presidential candidates, and political practitioners to Georgetown's campus and enable "student-driven conversation."