Sylvanus Thayer
Encyclopedia
Colonel and Brevet
Brigadier General
Sylvanus Thayer (June 9, 1785 - September 7, 1872) also known as "the Father of West Point" was an early superintendent of the United States Military Academy
at West Point and an early advocate of engineering education in the United States
.
, the son of farmer Nathaniel Thayer and his wife Dorcas. In 1793, at the age of 8, Thayer was sent to live with his uncle Azariah Faxon and attend school in Washington, New Hampshire
. There he met General Benjamin Pierce
, who, like Faxon, was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. In 1803 Thayer matriculated at Dartmouth College
, graduating in 1807 as valedictorian of his class.
Thayer, however, never gave the valedictory address at Dartmouth, having been granted an appointment to West Point by President Thomas Jefferson
at the behest of General Pierce. Thayer graduated from the Military Academy after a single year, and received his commission as a second lieutenant in 1808.
During the War of 1812
, Thayer directed the fortification and defense of Norfolk, Virginia
, and was promoted to major. In 1815, Thayer was provided $5,000 to travel to Europe, where he studied for two years at the French École Polytechnique
. While traveling in Europe he amassed a collection of science
and especially mathematics
texts that now form a valuable collection for historians of mathematics
http://www.dean.usma.edu/departments/math/about/history/library.htm. In 1817, President James Monroe ordered Thayer to West Point to become superintendent
of the Military Academy. Under his stewardship, the Academy became the nation's first college of engineering.
Colonel Thayer's time at West Point ended with his resignation in 1833, after a disagreement with President Andrew Jackson
. He was elected an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
in 1834.
Thayer returned to duty with the Army Corps of Engineers
. Thayer spent the great majority of the next 30 years as the chief engineer for the Boston area. During this time he oversaw the construction of both Fort Warren
and Fort Independence
to defend Boston Harbor. Thayer's great engineering ability can be observed in both of the above mentioned forts. Thayer retired from the Army on June 1, 1863 with the rank of colonel in the Corps of Engineers. On April 21, 1864, President
Abraham Lincoln
nominated Thayer for the award of the honorary grade of brevet brigadier general, United States Army (Regular Army
), to rank from May 31, 1863, the day before he retired, for long and faithful service. The U.S. Senate confirmed the award on April 27, 1864.
As a result of Thayer's enduring legacy at the United States Military Academy
, in 1869 a notable meeting took place in Braintree between Thayer and the celebrated West Point graduate and Civil War hero Brigadier General Robert Anderson. An outcome of Anderson's 1869 meeting with Thayer was establishment of the Military Academy's Association of Graduates (AoG).
In 1867, Thayer donated $30,000 to the trustees of Dartmouth College
to create the Thayer School of Engineering
. Thayer personally located and recommended USMA graduate Lieutenant Robert Fletcher to Dartmouth president Asa Dodge Smith
. Fletcher became the school's first—then only—professor and dean.
The Thayer School admitted its first three students to a graduate program in 1871. Also in 1871 at the bequest of his will Thayer Academy
in Braintree, Massachusetts
was conceived. It opened September 12, 1877. Sylvanus Thayer died on September 7, 1872 at his home in Braintree. He was reinterred at West Point Cemetery
in 1877.
To honor his achievements, in 1958, the Sylvanus Thayer Award
was created by the United States Military Academy.
He has been honored by the United States Postal Service
with a 9¢ Great Americans series
postage stamp
.
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
Sylvanus Thayer (June 9, 1785 - September 7, 1872) also known as "the Father of West Point" was an early superintendent of the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
at West Point and an early advocate of engineering education in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Biography
Thayer was born in Braintree, MassachusettsBraintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
, the son of farmer Nathaniel Thayer and his wife Dorcas. In 1793, at the age of 8, Thayer was sent to live with his uncle Azariah Faxon and attend school in Washington, New Hampshire
Washington, New Hampshire
Washington is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,123 at the 2010 census. Situated in a hilly, rocky, forested area, and with 26 lakes and ponds, Washington is a picturesque resort area...
. There he met General Benjamin Pierce
Benjamin Pierce (governor)
Benjamin Pierce was an American Democratic-Republican politician. He served as Governor of New Hampshire from 1827 to 1828 and from 1829 to 1830.-Biography:...
, who, like Faxon, was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. In 1803 Thayer matriculated at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, graduating in 1807 as valedictorian of his class.
Thayer, however, never gave the valedictory address at Dartmouth, having been granted an appointment to West Point by President Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
at the behest of General Pierce. Thayer graduated from the Military Academy after a single year, and received his commission as a second lieutenant in 1808.
During the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, Thayer directed the fortification and defense of Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, and was promoted to major. In 1815, Thayer was provided $5,000 to travel to Europe, where he studied for two years at the French École Polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
. While traveling in Europe he amassed a collection of science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and especially mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
texts that now form a valuable collection for historians of mathematics
History of mathematics
The area of study known as the history of mathematics is primarily an investigation into the origin of discoveries in mathematics and, to a lesser extent, an investigation into the mathematical methods and notation of the past....
http://www.dean.usma.edu/departments/math/about/history/library.htm. In 1817, President James Monroe ordered Thayer to West Point to become superintendent
Superintendents of the United States Military Academy
The commanding officer of the United States Military Academy is its Superintendent. This position is roughly equivalent to the chancellor or president of an American civilian university. The officer appointed is by tradition a graduate of the United States Military Academy, commonly known as "West...
of the Military Academy. Under his stewardship, the Academy became the nation's first college of engineering.
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
. He was elected an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1834.
Thayer returned to duty with the Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
. Thayer spent the great majority of the next 30 years as the chief engineer for the Boston area. During this time he oversaw the construction of both Fort Warren
Fort Warren (Massachusetts)
Fort Warren is a historic fort on the Georges Island at the entrance to Boston Harbor. The fort is pentagonal, made with stone and granite, and was constructed from 1833–1861, completed shortly after the beginning of the American Civil War...
and Fort Independence
Fort Independence (Massachusetts)
Fort Independence is a granite star fort that provided harbor defenses for Boston, Massachusetts. Located on Castle Island, Fort Independence is the oldest continuously fortified site of English origin in the United States. The first primitive fortification was placed on the site in 1634 and...
to defend Boston Harbor. Thayer's great engineering ability can be observed in both of the above mentioned forts. Thayer retired from the Army on June 1, 1863 with the rank of colonel in the Corps of Engineers. On April 21, 1864, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
nominated Thayer for the award of the honorary grade of brevet brigadier general, United States Army (Regular Army
Regular Army
The Regular Army of the United States was and is the successor to the Continental Army as the country's permanent, professional military establishment. Even in modern times the professional core of the United States Army continues to be called the Regular Army...
), to rank from May 31, 1863, the day before he retired, for long and faithful service. The U.S. Senate confirmed the award on April 27, 1864.
As a result of Thayer's enduring legacy at the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
, in 1869 a notable meeting took place in Braintree between Thayer and the celebrated West Point graduate and Civil War hero Brigadier General Robert Anderson. An outcome of Anderson's 1869 meeting with Thayer was establishment of the Military Academy's Association of Graduates (AoG).
In 1867, Thayer donated $30,000 to the trustees of Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
to create the Thayer School of Engineering
Thayer School of Engineering
Thayer School of Engineering is a graduate school at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, United States, whose faculty also double as the undergraduate Department of Engineering Sciences. The school was established in 1867 with funds from Brig. Gen...
. Thayer personally located and recommended USMA graduate Lieutenant Robert Fletcher to Dartmouth president Asa Dodge Smith
Asa Dodge Smith
The Rev. Asa Dodge Smith D.D., L.L.D. served as the 7th president of Dartmouth College from 1863 until his death in 1877.- Dartmouth Presidency :...
. Fletcher became the school's first—then only—professor and dean.
The Thayer School admitted its first three students to a graduate program in 1871. Also in 1871 at the bequest of his will Thayer Academy
Thayer Academy
Thayer Academy is a private, co-educational, college-preparatory day school located in Braintree, Massachusetts. The academy, conceived in 1871 at the bequest of General Sylvanus Thayer, the father of the United States Military Academy, was founded in 1877...
in Braintree, Massachusetts
Braintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
was conceived. It opened September 12, 1877. Sylvanus Thayer died on September 7, 1872 at his home in Braintree. He was reinterred at West Point Cemetery
West Point Cemetery
West Point Cemetery is a historic cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. It overlooks the Hudson River, and served as a burial ground for American Revolutionary War soldiers and early West Point inhabitants long before 1817 when it was officially...
in 1877.
To honor his achievements, in 1958, the Sylvanus Thayer Award
Sylvanus Thayer Award
The Sylvanus Thayer Award is an award that is given each year by the United States Military Academy at West Point. Sylvanus Thayer was the fifth superintendent of that academy and in honor of his achievements, the award was created...
was created by the United States Military Academy.
He has been honored by the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
with a 9¢ Great Americans series
Great Americans series
The Great Americans series is a set of definitive stamps issued by the United States Postal Service, starting on December 27, 1980 with the 19¢ stamp depicting Sequoyah, and continuing through 2002, the final stamp being the 78¢ Alice Paul self-adhesive stamp. The series, noted for its simplicity...
postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
.
See also
- Gen. Sylvanus Thayer HouseGen. Sylvanus Thayer HouseGen. Sylvanus Thayer House is an historic house at 786 Washington Street in Braintree, Massachusetts. It is operated by the Braintree Historical Society as the Thayer House Museum, which is open year-round....
- Thayer AcademyThayer AcademyThayer Academy is a private, co-educational, college-preparatory day school located in Braintree, Massachusetts. The academy, conceived in 1871 at the bequest of General Sylvanus Thayer, the father of the United States Military Academy, was founded in 1877...
- Thayer Public LibraryThayer Public LibraryThe Thayer Public Library is a public library located in the town of Braintree, Massachusetts with 102,000 books, 200 periodical subscriptions, and 8,000 videos, DVDs, music CDs, and audiobooks. The library is a member of the Old Colony Library Network....