The first land-grant college for blacks was Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College in Lorman, Mississippi, which was established in 1871. This was made possible under the Morrill Act of 1862. Ironically, the college was named in honor of James I. Alcorn, a Reconstruction governor of the state who led the white branch of the Republican Party, and who opposed black legislators during his term of office. Hiram Rhoades (Rhodes) Revels (1827–1901), a former U.S. Senator, was the first president. For a considerable period of time, the college maintained a liberal arts curriculum, in spite of the disapproval of the legislature.