Today Is Matthew Vassar's 219th Birthday

Today is Matthew Vassar's 219th birthday. In honor of our dear founder, without whom all of our lives would be much different, here are some fun facts about his life that you might not know:

• He was born in England
• He ran away at the age of 14 to become a brewer
• His brewery was very successful and may have been the first to receive nationwide distribution to every state
• He died in the middle of giving his farewell speech to the Board of Trustees

From an old Vassar song, "And so you see, to old V.C. / Our love shall never fail / Full well we know that all we owe / To Matthew Vassar's ale."