[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 69 (Tuesday, May 15, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E804-E805]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNIZING THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF HAMILTON COLLEGE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RICHARD L. HANNA

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 15, 2012

  Mr. HANNA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Hamilton College on the 
occasion of its bicentennial.
  Hamilton is one of this Nation's finest liberal arts colleges. It is 
known for its rigorous academic program to prepare students for lives 
of meaning and purpose. The College is renowned for teaching students 
to express their ideas with clarity and precision, to think creatively 
and analytically, and to act ethically and with conviction.
  Hamilton College was originally founded in 1793 as the Hamilton-
Oneida Academy by the Reverend Samuel Kirkland, missionary to the 
Oneida Indians. Rev. Kirkland's vision was to educate the children of 
the Oneidas alongside the children of the white settlers streaming into 
Central New York following the American Revolution. He presented his 
plan of education in 1793 to President George Washington who 
``expressed approbation'' and to Secretary of the Treasury Alexander 
Hamilton who lent his name to the institution and consented to become a 
trustee. Oneida Chief Skenandoa and Baron von Steuben, inspector 
general of the Continental Army and ``drillmaster'' of Washington's 
troops during the War for Independence, were present when the 
cornerstone for the new Academy was laid on July 1, 1794.
  The Hamilton-Oneida Academy lasted 19 years before it was rechartered 
by the Regents of the University of the State of New York as Hamilton 
College on May 26, 1812. The institution is believed to be the 31st 
oldest college in the United States.
  Over the years, Hamilton has never wavered from its mission to teach 
the liberal arts and sciences. In 1968, all-male Hamilton College 
established the all-female Kirkland College, which lasted 10 years 
until the two colleges combined in 1978.
  Today, Hamilton enrolls 1,812 students from 49 States and 37 
countries. Its student-to-faculty ratio of 9-to-1 ensures significant 
individual attention for its students, many of whom

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compete successfully for Fulbright Awards, Goldwater Scholarships and 
other prestigious national fellowships and scholarships funded by this 
body.
  Included among its graduates are public servants at every level, 
including most notably former Vice President of the United States James 
``Schoolcraft'' Sherman; former Secretary of State, Secretary of War, 
U.S. Senator and recipient of the 1912 Nobel Peace Prize Elihu Root; 
current Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack; and former U.S. 
Ambassadors Arnold Raphel, William Luers, Sol Linowitz, Michael Klosson 
and Edward Walker. The College also counts among its alumni prominent 
business leaders, scientists, artists, educators, physicians, 
ministers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, entertainers, writers, and 
journalists.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my distinguished colleagues join me 
in recognizing and congratulating the students, faculty, staff, alumni 
and trustees of Hamilton College on the occasion of their institution's 
two hundredth anniversary on May 26, 2012.

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