Thomas Hopinks Gallaudet By Joey Hagen 1814 Gallaudet meets Alice Cogswell 1815 Gallaudet travels to Europe to research deaf schools 1816 Frenchman, Laurent Clerc travels back to America with Gallaudet Apr 15, 1817 Gallaudet and Clerc establish The American Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb 1819 The American Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb renamed the American School for the Deaf 1856 Postmaster General donated two acres of his estate in northeast Washington, D.C. for an institution for the deaf and blind 1857 Edward Gallaudet becomes superintendent of the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and Blind 1864 Abraham Lincoln authorized the institution to become a college 1869 1st graduation class of the college 1894 The Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and Blind was renamed to Gallaudet College in honor of Thomas Gallaudet 1954 The institution became known as Gallaudet College by an act of Congress 1968 Gallaudet College was given the university title