Maryland's First Non-medical Honorary Degree Recipient On the third floor of Davidge Hall, a brass plaque in the center of the lecture hall catches sunlight through the glass dome directly above. Yes, it happened here. Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roche Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette—The Hero of Two Worlds—was honored at the University of Maryland during a triumphant 14-month return visit to our country. By 1824, Lafayette had acquired immortal status here for his efforts in supporting America’s independence. As early as 1784, the state of Maryland declared Lafayette and his heirs “Citizens in Perpetuity.” During the Revolutionary War, the general had camped several times at Port Deposit and named the port city—Havre de Grace—after the southern French city of Le Havre. A statue of Lafayette was erected just one block from Rochambeau Plaza in this Harford County community. In fact, streets, squares, and parks in Maryland and throughout the young Republic were named in his honor. So it was fitting that President James Monroe invite the aging statesman back to America. Travels, Conquests, and Struggles Other than Alexander the Great, Lafayette had witnessed and participated in more momentous events on two continents than perhaps any other. At age 19, he left the comforts of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s Versailles Palace (against their wishes), imbued with Rousseau-like ideals of Democracy, Republicanism, and the Rights of Man. In July 1777, the unpaid volunteer (he eventually gave much of his inheritance to the American army and its troops) was made a major general and served on George Washington’s staff. By many accounts, he became the son Washington never had. He stayed the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge and constantly pressed the French king for troops (eventually sent under the command of Count de Rochambeau in 1780). With the help of the French fleet blocking a retreat by sea, Lafayette participated in the trapping of British General Cornwallis at Yorktown and the surrender of the British army. He attended the surrender ceremony as the defeated British fife and drum corps played The World Turned Upside Down. In reply, Lafayette had his small band play Yankee Doodle. The American dream for independence was at hand. Returning to France at age 24, Lafayette’s hopes for a constitutional monarchy to curtail the king’s powers began with his advocacy for a national assembly and led to the Estates General in 1789. On July 11, he introduced The Declaration of the Rights of Man. When the Bastille was stormed on July 14, Lafayette was pressed to lead the citizen soldiers—the National Guard. His first act was to order the dismantling of the Bastille (a key to the prison was later given by Lafayette to George Washington, and today it hangs on a wall at Mount Vernon). Lafayette devised the French tricolour of red, white, and blue. He saved the king and queen from a mob marching on the Versailles Palace. He witnessed the results of the massacre of Louis XVI’s Swiss Guards at the Tuileries Palace and saw his hopes of a stable government slip away with the ascent of radical Jacobins and Maximilien de Robespierre. While in exile, he was imprisoned—mostly in solitary confinement—for five years. His wife and two daughters elected to stay with him for two of those years and were known as “The Prisoners of Olmutz.” His son, George Washington Lafayette, escaped to America where he stayed for several years. Lafayette was freed and returned to France in 1800 after Napoleon declared himself “Consul for Life.” It was during this time that Lafayette’s remaining fortune was confiscated, as he was viewed by Napoleon as conspiratorial. When Napoleon staged a ceremony for George Washington in 1800 after the American president’s death, Lafayette was not invited. And even after Napoleon’s exile, Lafayette was distrusted by the new king and harassed by police. Yet he was elected into public office several times after 1814. A Triumphant Return Lafayette was happy to be invited back to the United States in 1824. He sold cattle and borrowed money to finance the trip and was accompanied by his son George. The 67 year old was overwhelmed by the daily celebrations, holidays, honors, and adulation from crowds at every stop. Thomas Jefferson reminded President Monroe (who had fought with Lafayette at the battle of Brandywine) of their guest’s financial plight. As a result, Lafayette received $200,000 and a land grant in Florida (much of today’s Tallahassee) from an appreciative U.S. Congress. On Thursday morning October 7, 1824, General Lafayette arrived in Baltimore at Fort McHenry aboard the steam boat United States. The original Star Spangled Banner flew over the fort that day. Three cannons fired from the fort were answered by thirteen from Federal Hill. On landing, he was taken to a large tent—George Washington’s field tent during the Revolutionary War (the tent is on display at the Smithsonian). He was received by the governor, the mayor, the Hero of Cowpens (John Eager Howard), Charles Carroll of Carrollton, and many other aging revolutionary soldiers. A procession of carriages and 1000 cavalry passed Federal Hill to the sounds of 24 cannons, representing the number of states in the Union that year. Grand-stands were set up for those willing to pay for a seat. That night fireworks lit the sky. Saturday was the University of Maryland’s day to pay homage to Lafayette, who had accepted the invitation to receive its first honorary degree. As the Right Reverend Bishop Kent, the university’s provost, rose to speak, so, too, did everyone in Anatomical Hall—including Dr. John Davidge, the school’s founder and first dean. The Baltimore Gazette reported the provost’s final words: “The University of Maryland, we view, sir, as a scion sprung from that [Revolutionary] stock, which your hand assisted in planting. And in the fullness of our gratitude, we beg you to accept the highest expression of regard she has in her power to bestow.” The parchment degree was presented in a silver box. Afterward, Lafayette visited the museum and anatomic specimens in Practice Hall, located beside the medical building. The next day, he went to mass at the Cathedral of the Assumption—coincidentally built on the ground where he had set his tent during his Revolutionary War stay in Baltimore. Nearly 100,000 spectators caught a glimpse of “the nation’s visitor” in our city during his four-day visit. Lafayette returned to France 11 months later. He remained politically active and, in 1830, again became commander of the National Guard. When he died in 1834, the French government forbade a public funeral, and Lafayette was buried beside his wife in the small Picpus Cemetery in Paris. In contrast, here in America, President Andrew Jackson ordered the same honors that Washington was afforded—flags flew at half mast, and the capitol was draped with crepe for the remainder of the session. Memorial services were held everywhere. Remembered in Perpetuity Lafayette’s honorary degree ceremony was re-enacted in Davidge Hall during the 175th anniversary of the medical school in 1982. The pageantry featured fifes, drums, and horse-drawn carriages parading down Lombard Street. A descendant of Lafayette joined university officials for the occasion. Among them were George Yeager, ’29, Theodore Woodward, ’38, and dean John Dennis, ’45 (the event was recorded on video and can be viewed in the medical alumni office). In addition to marking our school’s bicentennial, the year 2007 is the 250th anniversary of the Frenchman’s birth, and the annual July 4 ceremony at his grave will prove to be a very special event. If you ever visit the site to honor this Revolutionary War hero, you’ll note an American flag at his headstone. It has flown there since 1834 and was left untouched during the Nazi occupation. In addition, the earth supporting the flag and surrounding the vault is from Bunker Hill, brought back in barrels after Lafayette’s visit to Boston for the dedication ceremony. Upon your arrival, be sure to salute our hero and acknowledge his visit to the University of Maryland by proclaiming, “Lafayette, we are here!” Note: Charles F. Hoesch, ’75, is medical director for geriatrics and long-term care at the Perry Point, Maryland VA Medical Center. Sources he used for this story include the Baltimore Gazette (October 6 through 12, 1824); Baltimore Commercial Daily Advertiser (October 6 through 12, 1824); Lafayette, Hero of Two Worlds—The Art and Pageantry of His Farewell Tour, 1824-1825 (Idzerda, Lovland, Miller Hanover, N.H.: The Queens Museum, 1989); and Lafayette (Unger, Harlow New Jersey, 2002).