As a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, Davie sponsored the bill that chartered the University of North Carolina.
Davie laid the cornerstone of the university in October 1793 in a full Masonic ceremony as he was the Grand Master of the North Carolina Grand Lodge at the time.

He is recognized as the university's founder and served on its board of trustees from 1789 to 1807.
Davie also received the institution's first honorary degree in 1811, an LL.D., and was given the title "Father of the University".
The "Davie Poplar" tree on the campus is, as legend has it, where Davie tied his horse in the late 1790s to pick out the site for the state's first university.
 A portrait of Davie hangs in the chambers of the Dialectic Society, the oldest student organization at the university.

In October 2013 the sword and pocket watch of Davie, a Mason who is considered the founder of the University, were displayed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as part of the commemoration celebrating the role of Freemasons in the establishment of the first public university in the United States.
As a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, Davie sponsored the bill that chartered the University of North Carolina. Davie laid the cornerstone of the university in October 1793 in a full Masonic ceremony as he was the Grand Master of the North Carolina Grand Lodge at the time.
He is recognized as the university's founder and served on its board of trustees from 1789 to 1807. Davie also received the institution's first honorary degree in 1811, an LL.D., and was given the title "Father of the University". The "Davie Poplar" tree on the campus is, as legend has it, where Davie tied his horse in the late 1790s to pick out the site for the state's first university.  A portrait of Davie hangs in the chambers of the Dialectic Society, the oldest student organization at the university.
In October 2013 the sword and pocket watch of Davie, a Mason who is considered the founder of the University, were displayed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as part of the commemoration celebrating the role of Freemasons in the establishment of the first public university in the United States.
William Richardson Davie