Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

McCain, John Sidney, 3d

(Encyclopedia)McCain, John Sidney, 3d, 1936–2018, U.S. politician, b. Panama Canal Zone. A much decorated navy veteran, he was born into a career naval family and a...

Fish, New York family

(Encyclopedia)Fish, family long prominent in New York politics. Nicholas Fish, 1758–1833, b. New York City. He studied law before serving ably as a major in a New York regiment throughout the American Revolution....

Booth

(Encyclopedia)Booth, family prominent in the Salvation Army, founded by William Booth. His wife, Catherine Mumford Booth, 1829–90, whom he married in 1855, played a leading part in the foundation and development ...

Cox, George Barnsdale

(Encyclopedia)Cox, George Barnsdale, 1853–1916, American politician, Republican boss of Cincinnati, b. Cincinnati. A former bootblack, he turned to real estate and local politics after selling his saloon in 1881....

Fort Benning

(Encyclopedia)Fort Benning, U.S. army post, 189,000 acres (76,500 hectares), W Ga., S of Columbus; est. 1918. One of the largest army posts in the United States, it is the nation's largest infantry training center ...

Cornwallis, Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess

(Encyclopedia)Cornwallis, Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess côrnwälˈĭs [key], 1738–1805, English general and statesman. He was commissioned an ensign in the British army in 1756 and saw service in Europe in th...

LaGuardia, Fiorello Henry

(Encyclopedia)LaGuardia, Fiorello Henry fēərĕlˈō, ləgwärˈdēə [key], 1882–1947, U.S. public official, congressman, and mayor of New York City (1934–45), b. New York City. He spent his early years in Ar...

Suleiman, Michel

(Encyclopedia)Suleiman or Sleiman, Michel mēshĕlˈ so͞olāmänˈ, slāˈmän [key], 1948–, Lebanese army officer, president of Lebanon (2008–14). He joined the army in 1967, graduated from Lebanon's military...

Obama, Barack

(Encyclopedia)Obama, Barack (Barack Hussein Obama 2d), bəräkˈ ho͞osānˈ ōbäˈmə [key], 1961–, 44th president of the United States (2009–17), b. Honolulu, grad. Columbia (B.A. 1983), Harvard Law School ...

Mulready, William

(Encyclopedia)Mulready, William məlrĕdˈē [key], 1786–1863, Irish genre painter. He began as a drawing master and an illustrator of children's books. After 1809 he devoted himself to genre subjects and gained ...