Thinking On General Thayer’s Legacy

Brevet Brigadier General Sylvanus Thayer’s character has always struck me as important in the early development of the American military. His work as superintendent at West Point set a standard of how to act, he did that with an eye to meritocracy, being fair and not accepting political pressure from the parents of highly placed cadets could influence his decisions as superintendent. He even resigned in protest. That character might have lost his position, but it set an example for the rest of the 19th century and beyond.

General Thayer was born in Braintree, but he moved away for school and his chosen profession engineering in the military. This Thayer Academy Founder’s Day speech from 2016 provides some great insights into his story of character.

For me what especially strikes me about General Thayer’s approach to life and work, is his reaction when he “Unexpectedly. After his retirement, the federal government informed Sylvanus Thayer that, according to federal laws, a small percentage of all funds he had overseen for procurement during the course of his long career had been set aside for his benefit. Thayer tried to refuse the money. The government insisted. Thayer decided that money accrued from public service could best be applied to a public purpose — to contribute, as we note in our current mission statement, to the common good. He committed $10,000 to the establishment of a public library in Braintree – situated across the street from our campus and known as the Thayer Public Library. He set aside nearly $60,000 for the purchase of land and the building of "a suitable edifice or edifices for an Academy."”

What’s interesting about this story is that General Thayer initially refused and was able to persuade the authorities not to pay him, and then he had to be called back and he was told that if he didn’t take the money, his heirs would receive the money, so he might as well take the money and think of suitable places to leave a legacy. Ever the practical engineer he set about setting up the best of legacies with the public library, Dartmouth College engineering school, and Thayer Academy.

While Thayer has many physical legacies and buildings, it’s the one of character and that everyone with skill and imagination may aspire to reach the highest level that shine through.