Joseph Schuyler Long (1869 – October 31, 1933) was an American educator, author, and principal. He taught deaf children and authored the first standard picture dictionary of

American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual lang ...

after becoming deaf himself as a child. He also wrote a book of poetry titled ''Out of the Silence''.

Biography

Joseph Schuyler Long was born in 1869 to William and Lucy Perry Long in

Marshalltown, Iowa Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States, located along the Iowa River. It is the seat and most populous settlement of Marshall County and the 16th largest city in Iowa, with a population of 27,591 at ...

. In 1881 Long became deaf from cerebrospinal

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

. He entered the Iowa School for the Deaf and graduated in 1884 and entered

Gallaudet College Gallaudet University ( ) is a private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. for the education of the Hearing loss, deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a gramma ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In 1889 he became a teacher of the deaf and an athletic director at the

Wisconsin School for the Deaf Wisconsin School for the Deaf (WSD) is located in Delavan, Wisconsin. The school has been serving Wisconsin’s deaf and hard of hearing children since 1852. WSD has an average enrollment of 130 students (the highest enrollment was 215 in 1980 and ...

. He received his degree from Gallaudet College in 1895. In 1901 he was a head teacher at the Iowa School for the Deaf and an editor of the school periodical, ''The Iowa Hawkeye'' (the mascot later changed to the bobcat). In 1902 he was made acting principal and in 1908 full principal. He published the dictionary ''The Sign Language. A Manual of Signs'' in 1909. The Schuyler Long Collection at Gallaudet College includes the original 32 photograph plates used in the first edition of his sign language dictionary; it was the first standard picture dictionary of sign language and has been referred to as "The Deaf man's equivalent of Webster's Dictionary". In 1914 Long received a Doctor of Letters Degree from Gallaudet College. In 1928 he began work on an anthology of poems by deaf authors. On October 31, 1933, he died from heart failure at the age of 64 "at his home at the Iowa School for the Deaf, Council Bluffs... nd rial was in Riverside Cemetery, Marshalltown."''The Annals of Iowa'', Volume 19 Number 3 (Winter 1934), p. 238

Legacy

In 1960 ''The Silent Muse Anthology'', of his collected works was published. Long's daughter, Dorothy Long, married Professor

William Hertzog Thompson William H. Thompson (June 16, 1895 – July 6, 1981) was a writer, psychologist, professor, Presbyterian minister, and the father-in-law of Warren Buffett. William Hertzog Thompson was born in 1895 in Greeley, Colorado, to Lorin Andrew Thompson, ...

, and through Dorothy's daughter, Susan Thompson Buffett, Long was the grandfather-in-law of billionaire investor,

Warren Buffett Warren Edward Buffett ( ; born August 30, 1930) is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is one of the most successful investors in the world and has a net w ...

Bibliography

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Joseph Schuyler 1869 births 1933 deaths Educators of the deaf Deaf writers People from Marshalltown, Iowa American deaf people Gallaudet University alumni American writers with disabilities Deaf educators