Honoring Hampden-Sydney College on the 250th anniversary of its founding.

Honoring Hampden-Sydney College on the 250th anniversary of its founding.

Whereas November 10, 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of Hampden-Sydney College, among the Nation’s oldest colleges and the oldest privately chartered college in the southern United States;

Whereas Hampden-Sydney College was brought into being by the love of liberty and was founded on the eve of the American Revolution with the mission “to form good men and good citizens” who would be equipped to lead a new Republic;

Whereas the College’s namesakes, John Hampden and Algernon Sidney, were English Parliamentarians in the 17th century who gave their lives for the cause of representative government and civil and religious freedom and were heroes to the College’s founders, among them Patrick Henry and James Madison, who were also founders of our nation;

Whereas such State and nationally important institutions as the Union Theological Seminary and the Medical College of Virginia, which became part of Virginia Commonwealth University, had their origins at Hampden-Sydney College;

Whereas Hampden-Sydney College offers its liberal arts curriculum “in an atmosphere of sound learning”, valuing the development of both intellect and moral character, a rigorous rhetoric program, freedom of expression, civil discourse, diversity of thought, and life-long learning;

Whereas Hampden-Sydney College has remained true to its mission and values, maintaining a unique place in American higher education and continuing to educate young men who go on to make important and worthwhile contributions to society and our nation;

Whereas Hampden-Sydney College has consistently produced outstanding and consequential leaders and practitioners in such fields as politics, law, medicine, science, business, education, religion, arts and culture, and the military;

Whereas the Union-Philanthropic Literary Society, the second-oldest college debating society in America, among whose earliest members were Edward Henry, Patrick Henry’s eldest son, and future president William Henry Harrison, continues to flourish at Hampden-Sydney College; and

Whereas Hampden-Sydney College is pursuing an ambitious future for this storied institution so that it will thrive for another 250 years: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) celebrates the 250th anniversary of Hampden-Sydney College’s founding;

(2) reminds this, and future generations, of the relevance and importance of Hampden-Sydney College’s vital mission and its enduring commitments to civic responsibility, character and virtue, rhetoric, freedom of expression, and civility; and

(3) recognizes Hampden-Sydney College’s innumerable contributions to the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States of America through its commitment to liberal arts education, its numerous distinguished alumni, and its enduring mission “to form good men and good citizens” who will lead and support a free and just society.