Founders Day, which is usually observed on Feb. 18, traditionally marks the anniversary of the Ohio General Assembly’s approval on February 18, 1804 of the charter plans which led to the creation of the Ohio University.

In June, 1815, Ohio University’s first degrees were conferred on Thomas Ewing and John Hunter. After practicing law in Lancaster, Ohio, Ewing served first as a Unites States Senator and then as a cabinet member, including a stint as the nation’s first secretary of the interior.

In all, Ewing advised four U.S. presidents. John Hunter, meanwhile, died one year after receiving his degree.