Their father, Judge Cooley, approached Mrs. Somers and asked her to teach his daughters in preparation for their attendance at Vassar College.
The school was named after Mount Vernon Place Methodist Church in Baltimore, which was founded by Somers' brother, Thomas Eddy.
Students reportedly visited the Volta Place laboratory of Alexander Graham Bell, to test the newly invented telephone.
Some of the topics included controversial subjects of the time such as women's suffrage, child labor, the effects of poverty on children, and prohibition.
[7] During this time, students came from all across the United States to attend Mount Vernon, as well as Hawaii, Japan, and Syria.
She sold her M Street property to the YWCA, in keeping with her dedication to educating girls and young women.
In 1942, the United States Navy informed Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd that they planned to take over the Nebraska Avenue campus and use its facilities for the war effort; to be called the Naval Communications Annex for intelligence work.
In early 1943, the campus was relocated to the top floor of a Garfinckel's department store building in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Washington, D.C. All but nine students returned to the school which re-opened on February 1, 1943;[17] This was a spread out campus located in the store and different homes that were purchased in the neighbourhood; 162 students had to be boarded out.
The school applied for accreditation and began awarding the Associates of Arts degree in 1944 to junior college graduates.
[18] In 1944, Mount Vernon was granted compensation of $1.038 million from the United States Navy for the military takeover of its property.
[19] During the 1960s, the junior college developed new majors in an effort to place emphasis on those subjects which fit well with the capital city, such as those in government and politics, international relations and fine arts.
However, deciding that it was financially impossible to run two separate institutions, the board of trustees chose in 1965 to close its historic, respected Seminary to build up its collegiate program.
Mount Vernon was dedicated to remaining a women's college but faced significant financial struggles due to declining enrollments; the opening of previously all-male institutions to coeducation negatively impacted Mount Vernon and all women's institutions during that era.
[23] The Elizabeth J. Somers Women's Leadership Program was founded in honor of the Mount Vernon Seminary and College and its alumnae.
GW constructed new athletic fields, dormitories, and other facilities to support the growth of the Mount Vernon campus.