Edward Miner Gallaudet Famous American pioneer educator who taught the deaf Date of Birth: 05.02.1837 Country: USA

1. Biography of Edward Miner Gallaudet
2. Early Life and Education
3. Contributions to Education
4. Publications and Achievements
5. Later Years and Legacy

Biography of Edward Miner Gallaudet

Edward Miner Gallaudet was a renowned American pioneer and educator who taught the deaf. He served as the president of Gallaudet College for 46 years, from 1864 to 1910. He was also the leading administrator for 54 years, from 1857 to 1910, and the chairman of the Board of Directors for 47 years, from 1864 to 1911. Gallaudet was a strong advocate for the use of sign language, recognizing its benefits for deaf individuals. He believed that while teaching speech to the deaf was valuable, it was not accessible to every deaf person.

Early Life and Education

Edward Miner Gallaudet was born on February 5, 1837, in Hartford, Connecticut. He was the son of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Sophia Fowler Gallaudet. As a young boy, Edward enjoyed working with tools and tinkering with electrical devices. He kept birds and rabbits and spent much of his time in the city, but also traveled across the country. He loved climbing hills with his father, who instilled in him a passion for geometry. When Edward was 14 years old, his father passed away shortly after he completed high school at Hartford High School. He then went to work at a bank, where he stayed for three years. However, he found the monotonous life of a bank employee burdensome, and from 1855 to 1857, he worked as a teacher at the school his father had founded, rejecting several favorable offers from other banks. Concurrently, Gallaudet continued his education at Trinity College in Hartford, graduating with a bachelor's degree in just two years.

Contributions to Education

In 1857, American politician and former U.S. Postmaster General Amos Kendall donated two acres of land to establish a school for the deaf and blind in Washington, D.C. He asked Gallaudet to come to Washington to help establish the school, and Edward immediately accepted the offer, becoming the first superintendent of the Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Blind. From 1864 to 1910, Gallaudet served as the president of Gallaudet College for 46 years, the leading administrator for 54 years from 1857 to 1910, and the chairman of the Board of Directors for 47 years from 1864 to 1911. He strongly believed in the use of sign language.

Publications and Achievements

Gallaudet made significant contributions to various publications, including the 'American Annals of the Deaf,' 'New Englander,' 'International Review,' 'Penn Monthly,' and 'Harper's Monthly.' In 1879, he published the work 'Manual of International Law,' which is still used as a textbook in many colleges. In 1887, he published the book 'Life of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet,' a biography of his father. Gallaudet also wrote a report on European schools for the deaf after his first visit to Europe in 1867. He made a second official visit to Europe in 1880 as a delegate to the International Congress on the Education of the Deaf in Milan. He actively participated in the convention, commenting on his works in the London newspaper 'Times' and several American journals.

Later Years and Legacy

In 1886, Dr. Gallaudet received an invitation from the British government to visit London and appear before the Royal Commission on the Blind, Deaf, and Dumb. He understood that his approved methods in America would have a significant influence on the commission's policies, as its positive recommendations would be sent directly to Parliament. Gallaudet served as the chairman of the executive committee of the Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf for 30 years. He was one of the founders and presidents of the Cosmos Club and an active member of the Literary Society of Washington, which he assumed leadership of from Garfield. He was also a member of the American Social Science Association, the Philosophical and Anthropological societies of Washington, the American Historical Society, and the Huguenot Society.

Gallaudet's fifth child and second child with his second wife Susan, Edson Fessenden Gallaudet, was a pioneer in aviation. He conducted the first experiments with wing deformations and founded the first aviation factory in America.

After leaving Gallaudet College, Edward returned to his hometown of Hartford, Connecticut. He passed away on September 26, 1917, and was buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford. A statue in honor of his life and work stands on the campus of Gallaudet University, sculpted by Pietro Lazzari.

'Deafness, whether acquired or congenital, imposes no limitations on a person's intellectual development, except in one area - the understanding of auditory phenomena.'