R.E. Lee Signed 1869 Washington College Diploma

SIGNED BY ROBERT E. LEE AS PRESIDENT OF WASHINGTON COLLEGE FOR FAMED CLASSICIST & CONFEDERATE VETERAN MILTON WYLIE HUMPHREYS

Partially engraved diploma signed by Robert E. Lee. [Lexington, Virginia], 24 June 1869. Handsomely matted and framed. Completed in manuscript, undersigned by the Clerk of the Faculty and R. J. McCulloch, professor of Natural Philosophy.

A fine signature of Robert E. Lee from near the end of his life. After a brief residence in Richmond after the war, he accepted an offer to serve as the president of Washington College (now Washington & Lee University) in Lexington, Virginia. Commanding a deep respect from the students and faculty alike, he served in the role from October 1865 until his death in 1870.

Here, Lee signs the diploma of Milton W. Humphreys who was deemed proficient in Physics. Humphreys (1844-1928), originally from Greenbrier County, Virginia (now West Virginia), was a student at Washington College at the outbreak of war before enlisting as a sergeant with the Virginia Monroe Light Artillery on 27 March 1862. The regiment saw action throughout Virginia and East Tennessee, participating in the Knoxville Campaign, the Lynchburg Campaign, and the Siege of Petersburg. He is listed as paroled on 12 June 1865 at Charleston, West Virginia, after which he returned to his studies at Washington College.

Humphreys attained a master's degree in 1869, the year of this diploma certificate. While continuing his studies, he also served as associate professor of Latin and Greek (1867-1870) and adjunct professor of Ancient Languages (1870-1875). He holds the distinction of introducing Roman pronunciation of Latin, the first time it was used in American Universities. He would go on to receive a Ph.D. from the University of Leipzig in 1874 before he was invited to serve as the first professor of Latin and Greek at Vanderbilt University. He continued his illustrious career as the first professor of Latin and Greek at the University of Texas in 1883, before moving to the University of Virginia as professor of Greek in 1887 until his retirement in 1912.

An interesting piece of ephemera from the educational career of one of the most respected Classicists of the late 19th and early 20th century. Enhanced immeasurably with the inclusion of Robert E. Lee's signature as president of the University.

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