Commencement speakers organized by year.
| Year | Speaker(s) | Position | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1869 | Hon. Jacob D. Cox Hon. Amos Kendall Rev. George W. Samson Rev. Byron Sunderland | U.S. Secretary of the Interior Board of the Directors President, Columbian College Board of the Directors | Congregational Church |
| 1870 | Hon. Jacob D. Cox | U.S. Secretary of the Interior | Congregational Church |
| 1871 | no commencement | ||
| 1872 | Hon. Columbus Delano | U.S. Secretary of the Interior | Chapel Hall |
| 1873 | Hon. John Eaton, Jr. | U.S. Commissioner of Education | Chapel Hall |
| 1874 | Hon. Lot M. Morrill | U.S. Senator from Maine | Chapel Hall |
| 1875 | Hon. Columbus Delano | U.S. Secretary of the Interior | Chapel Hall |
| 1876 | Prof. Joseph Henry Daniel C. Gilman Hon. Zachariah Chandler | Director, Smithsonian Institution President, John Hopkins University U.S. Secretary of the Interior | Chapel Hall |
| 1877 | Pres. James C. Welling Hon. Carl Schurz Rutherford B. Hayes | President, Columbian University U.S. Secretary of the Interior The President of the United States | Chapel Hall |
| 1878 | Hon. William E. Niblack Hon. James A. Garfield | Judge, Supreme Court of Indiana U.S. Representative from Ohio | Chapel Hall |
| 1879 | Prof. Noah Porter | President, Yale College (brother of Samuel Porter) | Chapel Hall |
| 1880 | Alexander Graham Bell Hon. J. Randolph Tucker | Inventor of the telephone and Advocate of Oral U.S. Representative from Virginia | Chapel Hall |
| 1881 | Hon. Samuel J. Kirkwood | U.S. Secretary of the Interior | Chapel Hall |
| 1882 | Rev. William C. Cattell | President, Lafayette College, Pennsylvania | Chapel Hall |
| 1883 | Edwin Allan Hodgson Robert Patterson | Editor of the Deaf Mutes’ Journal Teacher, Ohio School for the Deaf | Chapel Hall |
| 1884 | Daniel C. Gilman | President, Johns Hopkins University | Chapel Hall |
| 1885 | Simon Newcomb | Professor, U.S. Navy | Chapel Hall |
| 1886 | Hon. John A. Jameson | Jurist, Chicago | Chapel Hall |
| 1887 | Rev. Aaron L. Chapin | Ex-President, Beloit College, Wisconsin | Chapel Hall |
| 1888 | Rev. Joseph H. Twichell | Asylum Hill Congregational Church, Hartford | Chapel Hall |
| 1889 | Hon. James W. Patterson | Superintendent of Public Instruction in New Hampshire | Chapel Hall |
| 1890 | Hon. John W. Noble Hon. William D. Washburn | U.S. Secretary of the Interior U.S. Senator from Minnesota | Chapel Hall |
| 1891 | no commencement | Chapel Hall | |
| 1892 | Hon. John W. Noble Hon. Charles E. Hooker | U.S. Secretary of the Interior U.S. Representative from Mississippi | Chapel Hall |
| 1893 | Daniel C. Gilman | President, Johns Hopkins University | Chapel Hall |
| 1894 | Hon. William F. Vilas Hon. Joseph R. Hawley | U.S. Senator from Wisconsin U.S. Senator from Connecticut | Chapel Hall |
| 1895 | Hon. William L. Wilson | U.S. Postmaster General | Chapel Hall |
| 1896 | Jamini Nath Banerji Benaiah L. Whitman | Head Master of the School for the Deaf, Calcutta, India President, Columbian University | Chapel Hall |
| 1897 | Ethelbert D. Warfield | President, Lafayette College, Pennsylvania | Chapel Hall |
| 1898 | Hon. David B. Henderson | U.S. Representative from Iowa | Chapel Hall |
| 1899 | Arnold H. Payne Hon. John Hay | Oxford, England U.S. Secretary of State | Chapel Hall |
| 1900 | Hon. Jabez L.M. Curry | Secretary of the Peabody and Slater Educational Boards | Chapel Hall |
| 1901 | Hon. Henry B.F. MacFarland His Excellency Mr. Wu Ting-Fang | President Board of Commissioners of the D.C. Minister from China to the U.S. | Chapel Hall |
| 1902 | Hon. David J. Brewer | Associate Justice of the Supreme Court | Chapel Hall |
| 1903 | Charles W. Needham | President, Columbian University | Chapel Hall |
| 1904 | Daniel C. Gilman | President., Carnegie Institution | Chapel Hall |
| 1905 | Adolphus W. Greely | Chief Signal Officer, U.S. Army | Chapel Hall |
| 1906 | John Sparhawk | Attorney at Law, Philadelphia | Chapel Hall |
| 1907 | James Denison Daniel C. Gilman Hon. James R. Garfield | Principal of the Kendall School Ex-President, Johns Hopkins University U.S. Secretary of the Interior | Chapel Hall |
| 1908 | David Hillhouse Buel | President, Georgetown University | Chapel Hall |
| 1909 | Rev. Charles Wood | Pastor of the Church of the Covenant | Chapel Hall |
| 1910 | Hon. Richard A. Ballinger | U.S. Secretary of the Interior | Chapel Hall |
| 1911 | Hon. Thetus W. Sims Robert Patterson Thomas Fell J.R. Dobyns William Howard Taft Edward Miner Gallaudet | Congressional Member of the Board of Directors Principal of the Ohio School for the Deaf President, St. John’s College, Maryland Supt., Mississippi Institution for the Deaf The President of the United States President of the Board of Directors | Chapel Hall |
| 1912 | Rev. Ulysses G.B. Pierce | Minister, All Souls Church, Washington | Chapel Hall |
| 1913 | James H. Gore | Writer (Professor, Columbian University) | Chapel Hall |
| 1914 | William Allen Wilbur | Dean, George Washington University | Chapel Hall |
| 1915 | Hon. Frederick L. Siddons | Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the D.C. | Chapel Hall |
| 1916 | Hon. Newton D. Baker | U.S. Secretary of War | Chapel Hall |
| 1917 | Merrill E. Gates | Ex-President, Rutgers and Amherst Universities | Chapel Hall |
| 1918 | David Jayne Hill | Politician and diplomat | Chapel Hall |
| 1919 | Hon. Wesley L. Jones | U.S. Senator from Washington | Chapel Hall |
| 1920 | Hon. Leslie M. Shaw | Ex-Governor of Iowa and Ex-Secretary of the Treasury | Chapel Hall |
| 1921 | Hon. Simeon D. Fess | U.S. Representative from Ohio | Chapel Hall |
| 1922 | Hon. Hubert Work | U.S. Postmaster General | Chapel Hall |
| 1923 | Mirza Hussein Khan Alai | Imperial Minister of Persia | Chapel Hall |
| 1924 | Lucius Charles Clark | Chancellor, The American University | Chapel Hall |
| 1925 | Vernon Kellogg | U.S. Secretary, National Research Council | Chapel Hall |
| 1926 | J. Franklin Jameson | Director, Dept. of Historical Research Carnegie Institution | Chapel Hall |
| 1927 | J. W. Jones | Supt. Ohio State School for the Deaf | Chapel Hall |
| 1928 | Lucius Charles Clark | Chancellor, The American University | Chapel Hall |
| 1929 | Rev. John W. Hamilton | Ex-Chancellor, American University | Chapel Hall |
| 1930 | Rabbi Abram Simon | Washington Hebrew Congregation | Chapel Hall |
| 1931 | John Henry MacCracken | Associate Director, American Council on Education | Chapel Hall |
| 1932 | William John Cooper | U.S. Commissioner of Education | Chapel Hall |
| 1933 | Rev. Rufus Weaver | Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church (The Dynamic of Culture) | Chapel Hall |
| 1934 | Harrison Howe | Chemist (Past President of Washington Rotary Club) | Chapel Hall |
| 1935 | Ignatius Bjorlee | Supt., Maryland School for the Deaf | Chapel Hall |
| 1936 | Hon. Ernest G. Draper | U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce | Chapel Hall |
| 1937 | Hon. Albert Levitt | Special Assistant to the Attorney General of the U.S. | Chapel Hall |
| 1938 | Hon. H. Jerry Voorhis | U.S. Representative from California | Chapel Hall |
| 1939 | Earl James McGrath | Specialist in Higher Education, American Council on Education | Chapel Hall |
| 1940 | Albert W. Atwood | Colonel | Chapel Hall |
| 1941 | Dr. Rufus W. Weaver | Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church | Chapel Hall |
| 1942 | Hon. Paul V. McNutt | U.S. Federal Security Administrator | Chapel Hall |
| 1943 | Ignatius Bjorlee | Supt., Maryland School for the Deaf | Chapel Hall |
| 1944 | Robert L. Haycook | Superintendent of Schools, District of Columbia | Chapel Hall |
| 1945 | Rev. A. Powell Davies | Minister of All Souls’ Unitarian Church | Chapel Hall |
| 1946 | Hon. Elbert D. Thomas | U.S. Senator from Utah | Chapel Hall |
| 1947 | Mrs. Ethel Acuff Poore | Supt., Tennessee School for the Deaf | Chapel Hall |
| 1948 | Dr. John Dale Russell | Director, Div. of Higher Education, U.S. Office of Education | Chapel Hall |
| 1949 | George M. McClure, Sr. | Teacher, Kentucky School for the Deaf | Chapel Hall |
| 1950 | Buell G. Gallagher | Special Consultant to the Commissioner of Education | Chapel Hall |
| 1951 | Odie W. Underhill | Supt., North Carolina School for the Deaf | Chapel Hall |
| 1952 | Hon. Charles E. Moylan | Judge, Supreme Bench of Baltimore City | Chapel Hall |
| 1953 | Hon. Frank Carlson | U.S. Senator from Kansas | Chapel Hall |
| 1954 | Hon. Nelson A. Rockefeller | Undersecretary, Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare | Chapel Hall |
| 1955 | Guy Everett Snavely | Past Executive Director, Association of American College | Chapel Hall |
| 1956 | Jackson A. Raney | Supt., Indiana State School for the Deaf | Chapel Hall |
| 1957 | Edward Foss Wilson | U.S. Assistant Secretary, Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare | Chapel Hall |
| 1958 | Hurst R. Anderson | President, The American University | Chapel Hall |
| 1959 | Rev. Angus Dun | Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Washington | Hughes Memorial Gymnasium |
| 1960 | Hon. Cairine MacKay Wilson | Member of Parliament, Canada | Hughes Memorial Gymnasium |
| 1961 | Hon. Lyndon B. Johnson | Vice President of the United States | Student Union Building |
| 1962 | Hon. Boisfeuillet Jones | Special Assistant for Health and Medical Affairs, Dept. of H.E.W. | Student Union Building |
| 1963 | Hon. Homer Thornberry | U.S. Representative from Texas | Elstad Auditorium |
| 1964 | Hon. Edward Moore Kennedy | U.S. Senator from Massachusetts | Elstad Auditorium |
| 1965 | Hon. Bradshaw Mintener | Attorney at Law (Assistant Secretary of H.E.W.) | Elstad Auditorium |
| 1966 | Hon. John E. Fogarty | U.S. Representative from Rhode Island | Elstad Auditorium |
| 1967 | Joseph G. Demeza | Supt., Ontario School for the Deaf | Elstad Auditorium |
| 1968 | Mary E. Switzer | Administrator, Social and Rehabilitation Service, Dept. of H.E.W. | Elstad Auditorium |
| 1969 | Hon. Linton M. Collins | Judge, U.S. Court of Claims | Elstad Auditorium |
| 1970 | Hon. John G. Veneman | U.S. Undersecretary of H.E.W. | Hotchkiss Field |
| 1971 | Hon. Elliot L. Richardson | U.S. Secretary of H.E.W. | Hotchkiss Field |
| 1972 | Hon. Warren G. Magnuson | U.S. Senator from State of Washington | Washington Cathedral |
| 1973 | Hon. Jayne Baker Spain | Vice Chairman, U.S. Civil Service Commission | National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception |
| 1974 | Hon. Albert H. Quie | U.S. Representative from Minnesota | National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception |
| 1975 | Dr. Margaret Mead | Anthropologist | National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception |
| 1976 | Art Buchwald | Writer | National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception |
| 1977 | Jack Ashley | Member of Parliament, Canada | National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception |
| 1978 | Nanette Fabrary MacDougall | Actress | National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception |
| 1979 | Steven Muller | President, the Johns Hopkins University | National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception |
| 1980 | Hon. Eleanor Holmes Norton | Chair, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception |
| 1981 | Frank G. Bowe | U.S. Representative to the United Nations International Year of Disabled Persons | National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception |
| 1982 | Louise Fletcher | Actress | Field House |
| 1983 | Hon. Robert Packwood | U.S. Senator from Oregon | Field House |
| 1984 | Hon. David E. Bonior | U.S. Representative from Michigan | Field House |
| 1985 | Hon. William Bennett Randall L. Thomas | U.S. Secretary of Dept. of Education CEO of AT&T | Field House |
| 1986 | Leslie Stahl | White House Correspondent | Field House |
| 1987 | Hon. Larry M. Speakes | White House Press Secretary | Field House |
| 1988 | John Slaughter | Chancellor, University of Maryland, College Park | Field House |
| 1989 | Johnetta B. Cole | President, Spelman College, Georgia | Field House |
| 1990 | Harvey J. Corson | Provost Designate | Field House |
| 1991 | Peter Jennings | Anchor and Senior Editor, ABC | Field House |
| 1992 | Kenneth Bertaccini | President and CEO, AT&T Consumer Products | Field House |
| 1993 | Roger Wilkins | Prof., George Mason University | Field House |
| 1994 | William Jefferson Clinton | The President of the United States | Field House |
| 1995 | Marian Wright Edelman | President, Children’s Defense Fund | Field House |
| 1996 | Hon. Robert J. Dole >Jack R. Gannon | U.S. Senator from Kansas Special Assistant to the President for Advocacy | Field House |
| 1997 | His Excellency Franklin Abraham Sonn | South African Ambassador to the U.S. | Field House |
| 1998 | Hon. Richard W. Riley Gregory J. Hibok | U.S. Secretary of Education Merrill Lynch Financial Consultant | Field House |
| 1999 | William C. Richardson | President and CEO, Kellogg Foundation | Field House |
| 2000 | David Miller Sadker | Prof., the American University | Field House |
| 2001 | William Earl Kennard | Senior Fellow, the Aspen Institute | Field House |
| 2002 | Hon. David E. Bonior | U.S. Representative from Michigan | Field House |
| 2003 | Sam Donaldson | ABC News Correspondent | Field House |
| 2004 | Freeman A. Hrabowski, III | President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County | Field House |
| 2005 | Oliver W. Sacks | Neurologist, Author | Field House |
| 2006 | Ken Chlouber | “Father” of the Leadville 100 | Field House |
| 2007 | Albert J. Simone | President, Rochester Institute of Technology | Field House |
| 2008 | Donald Langenberg | Chancellor emeritus of the University System of Maryland | Field House |
| 2009 | Hon. Wilma Newhoudt-Druchen | Member of the South African Parliament | Field House |
| 2010 | Nancy S. Grasmick | Maryland State Superintendent of Schools | Field House |
| 2011 | Gary Malkowski | Director, Ontario Association of Education Advocates | Field House |
| 2012 | Markku J. Jokinen | Former President of World Federation of the Deaf | Field House |
| 2013 | Ray LaHood | U.S. Secretary of Transportation | Field House |
| 2014 | Philip Bravin | First Deaf Board of Trustee Chairperson of G.U. | Field House |
| 2015 | Vinton G. Cerf | American Internet Pioneer | Field House |
| 2016 | Bobbie Beth Scoggins | Advocate, Athlete, Scholar, Educator and Actress | Field House |
| 2017 | Glenn Anderson James Maguire | Ex-Chair of Board of Trustees, Counselor, Educator Founder, Philadelphia Insurance Company and Philanthropist | Field House |
| 2018 | Elizabeth A. Moore | Associate Professor, Gallaudet University | Field House |
| 2019 | Hon. Thomas Jeffery Cole | U.S. Representative, Fourth Congressional District of Oklahoma | Field House |
| 2020/2021 | Charlie “CJ” Jones | Performing Artist and Advocate | Virtual Ceremony |
| 2022 | Tim Cook | CEO of Apple |
Field House |
| 2023 | Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum | Interim president of Mount Holyoke College, Clinical Psychologist |
Field House |
| 2024 | Dr. Madan Vasishta | Professor |
Field House |
Contact
- Archives
- King Jordan Student Academic Center | 1255
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