U.S. #1861
1983 20¢ Thomas H. Gallaudet
Great Americans Series
Issue Date: June 10, 1983
City: West Hartford, Connecticut
Quantity: 300,000,000
Printed By: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Engraved
Perforations: 11 x 10 ½
Color: Green
The Great Americans Series
The popular Great Americans Series honors special Americans from all walks of life and honors them for their contributions to society and their fellow man. Sixty-four different stamps make up the complete set to pay tribute to important individuals who were leaders in education, the military, literature, the arts, and human and civil rights.
Death Of Thomas Gallaudet
Deaf education pioneer, Thomas Gallaudet died on September 10, 1851.
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was born on December 10, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From a young age he wanted to be a priest, but also considered other vocations. He graduated from Yale University at 17 before earning his master’s degree there three years later.
After graduating, Gallaudet considered a career in law, trade, or theology. He chose to attend Andover Theological Seminary and became a preacher in 1814. However, Gallaudet changed his plans after he met a young girl named Alice Cogswell. Alice had suffered a terrible fever that left her deaf. At the time, America had no schools that taught deaf children, so her father, Mason Fitch Cogswell, met with Gallaudet.
After spending some time with the girl, Gallaudet believed that, contrary to popular belief, she could be taught. Cogswell and nine other citizens realized the need for a special school for these children. They raised money and sent Gallaudet to Europe to find qualified teachers.
Gallaudet’s first choice, the Braidwoods, demanded compensation for every student taught using their method. Refusing to pay this fee, he turned to the School for the Deaf in Paris. Soon, Gallaudet was on his way back to America, learning sign language from Laurent Clerc on the boat. On April 15, 1817, Gallaudet and Clerc opened the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut, the first school for deaf children in America. About two years later, the school became the first school of its kind to receive federal aid.
Gallaudet went on to write children’s books and continue to be a champion for the deaf. He died on September 10, 1851, in Hartford, Connecticut. Years later, his youngest son helped to establish Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., in his honor.