Sylvanus Thayer, painting by Robert Weir

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. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x639, 101 KB) Summary Portrait of Sylvanus Thayer photo of portrait originally found at domain usma. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x639, 101 KB) Summary Portrait of Sylvanus Thayer photo of portrait originally found at domain usma. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... 1785 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... September 7 is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years). ... 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The United States Military Academy, also known as West Point, or simply USMA (or Army, for NCAA purposes), is a United States Army fort and military academy. ...

Thayer was born in Braintree, Massachusetts, the son of farmer Nathaniel Thayer and his wife Dorcas. In 1799 at the age of 14, 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. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Braintree, please see the article Braintree (CDP), Massachusetts. ... Washington is a town located in Sullivan County, New Hampshire. ... Benjamin Pierce (December 25, 1757-April 1, 1839), U.S. Democratic-Republican Party politician, He served as Governor of New Hampshire from 1827 to 1828 and from 1829 to 1830. ... The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war fought primarily between Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen of her North American colonies. ... Dartmouth College is a private academic institution in Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States. ...

Thayer, however, never gave the valedictory address at Dartmouth, having been granted an appointment to West Point by President James Madison at the behest of General Pierce. Thayer graduated from the Military Academy in a single year, and received his commission as a second lieutenant in 1808. James Madison (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836) was an American politician and fourth President of the United States (1809–1817). ... 1808 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

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 [1]. 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. Combatants United States Native Americans United Kingdom, Canadian colonial forces Native Americans First Nations Peoples Commanders James Madison Winfield Scott Andrew Jackson Isaac Brock† George Prevost Tecumseh† Strength •U.S. Regular Army: 35,800 •Rangers: 3,049 •Militia: 458,463* •US Navy & US Marines: (at start of war): •Frigates:6... Motto: Crescas (Latin for, Thou shalt grow. ... The Battle of New Orleans 1815 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Arms of the École Polytechnique The cadets of Polytechnique rushed to the defense of Paris against the foreign armies in 1814. ... Science in the broadest sense refers to any system of knowledge attained by verifiable means. ... Euclid, Greek mathematician, 3rd century BC, known today as the father of geometry; shown here in a detail of The School of Athens by Raphael. ... The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing The word mathematics comes from the Greek μάθημα (máthema) which means science, knowledge, or learning; μαθηματικός (mathematikós) means fond of learning. Today, the term refers to a specific body of knowledge -- the deductive study of quantity, structure, space and change. ... 1817 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The commanding officer of the United States Military Academy is its Superintendent. ...

Colonel Thayer's time at West Point ended with his resignation in 1833, after a disagreement with President Andrew Jackson. Thayer returned to active duty in the Army Corps of Engineers. He retired in 1863 with the rank of brigadier general. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... United States Army Corps of Engineers logo The United States Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, is made up of some 34,600 civilian and 650 military men and women. ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ...

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. 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Dartmouth College is a private academic institution in Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States. ... The Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College is one of the oldest professional schools of engineering in the USA. Founded in 1867 after a donation by General Sylvanus Thayer, the School comprises both the Undergraduate Department of Engineering Sciences at Dartmouth and a graduate professional school in engineering. ... Asa Dodge Smith D.D., L.L.D. (September 21, 1804–August 16, 1877) served as the 7th president of Dartmouth College from 1863 until his death in 1877. ...

The Thayer School admitted its first three students to a graduate program in 1871. Sylvanus Thayer died on September 7, 1872 at his home in Braintree. He was reinterred at West Point Cemetery in 1877. 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... West Point Cemetery is an historic cemetery on the grounds of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

To honor his achievements, in 1958, the Sylvanus Thayer Award was created by the United States Military Academy. 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Sylvanus Thayer Award is a military award that is given each year by the United States Military Academy at West Point. ...