In 1873, the union of these four institutions opened in Georgetown as "Texas University". Wishing to reserve that name for a proposed state university in Austin, the University of Texas, the Texas Legislature instead granted a charter in 1875 under the name "Southwestern University" as a continuation of the charters for Rutersville, Wesleyan, McKenzie, and Soule. The university considers its founding date to be 1840 when Rutersville College opened. Southwestern thus claims to be the oldest university in Texas and the second oldest coeducational liberal arts college west of the Mississippi.