Percival Hall, 2nd President of Gallaudet University, was born in Georgetown, D. C., on September 16, 1872. His father was Asaph Hall, was a mathematics and astronomy professor at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D. C. Percival grew up in Georgetown and attended public schools. He entered Harvard University at the age of 16 and received his Bachelor of Arts degree at 19. His ambition was to enter the engineering field, but a twist of fate; he spent his Christmas vacation on Kendall Green with his Harvard roommate, Allan B. Fay, which resulted in his becoming interested in the education of the deaf. Percival entered Gallaudet as a Normal student, graduated in 1893. Following his graduation, he taught at the New York School for the deaf for two years. He was invited to accept as a secretary to President Edward Miner Gallaudet for a short time. He taught Latin and mathematics. Upon President Gallaudet’s retirement in 1910, Percival became the next President of Gallaudet, where he remained until his retirement in 1945. He was the President during the two world wars and the great depression. He was involved in public and civic interests in the metropolitan Washington, D. C. area.

Percival Hall was married to Carolyn Clarke in 1895; however, Carolyn was stricken with an illness and passed away within one year. In 1900, he married a deaf woman, Ethel Taylor, at the House One on the campus. They had three children. During Percival’s retirement, he and his wife remained on the campus until he passed away on November 7, 1953.