Abraham Lincoln
(2/12/1809—4/15/1865)

Signer of Gallaudet University’s charter

One of President Lincoln’s many accomplishments was his supportive role in the founding of Gallaudet University, which was created by an act of Congress. On April 8, 1864, towards the end of his first term and during the Civil War (on the same day that part of General Nathaniel Banks’ Union army was defeated by a Confederate force under Richard Taylor’s command at Sabine Crossroads in Mansfield, Louisiana), Lincoln signed the charter authorizing Edward Miner Gallaudet’s fledgling institution (the “Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb”) to grant postsecondary degrees—marking the first such opportunity for deaf students in the Americas. To this day, the sitting President serves as patron of Gallaudet University, and Charter Day is celebrated annually on campus with a festive awards banquet.

Photo courtesy of www.lincoln.com