In the 19th century it was not uncommon for the U.S. President to attend the Georgetown College commencement—not to speak, but to hand out diplomas and prizes to students. The tradition seems to have begun with John Quincy Adams, who was present at both the 1825 and 1829 commencements. James Buchanan attended in 1857 and 1859, but declined in 1858 for health reasons. In a letter to the Georgetown President Bernard Maguire, S.J., President Buchanan assured Father Maguire that, while “it would afford me very great pleasure to be with you,” he felt “obligated to be with the Ladies [graduating students at the Georgetown Visitation Academy] the following day” and that he “could not think, in this hot weather, of passing two days in succession in a crowd.”
This letter (click to enlarge), addressed to the Georgetown President and dated July 7, 1858 (apparently the actual day of the commencement), also declines the invitation to the ceremony on behalf of President Buchanan. It is signed H. Lane and written on stationery headed by a monogram made up of the overlapping letters H, R, and L.
The writer was Harriet Rebecca Lane, who was James Buchanan’s niece and who acted as his First Lady. Note her comment that “. . . you will not allow me to distribute the Diplomas or Premiums or make myself useful in any way.” The passage of almost 160 years since this letter was written makes it difficult to interpret this sentence. While the words may have been jokingly penned, the underlining which is absent from any other portion of the letter could also be taken to convey a sense of indignation, despite the polite expressions that follow. Whatever the motivation behind the words, they were written because of Harriet Lane’s sex. Women played little active part in the workings or events of Georgetown College at this time. The first women did not enroll at Georgetown until 22 years after Harriet’s letter was written, when Jeannette Rice and Annie Sumner attended the Medical Department during the 1880-1881 academic year. The first women to graduate and so participate in any graduation ceremony, other than as audience members, were students in the Training School for Nurses Class of 1906. And the first honorary degree was not awarded to a woman until 1934, when Mrs. Nicholas Brady, National Chair of the Girl Scouts of America and Vice Chair of the Women’s National Committee of Welfare and Relief Mobilization, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws.
The 1858 commencement ceremony went forward in the absence of President Buchanan and Harriet—presumably Father Maguire handed out the diplomas and prizes. Nine Georgetown students received the degree of Bachelor of Arts, six Master of Arts degrees were awarded, and students entertained the audience with speeches on topics ranging from “The Poetry of Life” to “The Division of Poland.”
--Lynn Conway, University Archivist
January 18, 2017