Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Drew, John

(Encyclopedia)Drew, John, 1827–62, American actor, b. Dublin. After establishing a reputation as a comedian in the 1840s, he devoted his energies to the Arch Street Theatre, Philadelphia, where he maintained a fa...

Holt, Joseph

(Encyclopedia)Holt, Joseph, 1807–94, American public official, judge advocate general of the U.S. army (1862–75), b. Breckinridge co., Ky. He became a widely known lawyer and political speaker in the old Southw...

Johnson, Reverdy

(Encyclopedia)Johnson, Reverdy, 1796–1876, American lawyer and statesman, b. Annapolis, Md. Admitted to the bar in 1816, he served in the Maryland legislature (1821–28) and the U.S. Senate (1845–49) and was a...

Eyre, Sir James

(Encyclopedia)Eyre, Sir James, 1734–99, English jurist. As a young lawyer he was counsel (1763) for John Wilkes in the suit against the government that established the illegality of general warrants (warrants for...

Aylesbury

(Encyclopedia)Aylesbury ālzˈbərē [key], city, Buckinghamshire, central England. It is an agricultural market for the upper Thames valley and is famous for its ducks. There are print...

Conway, Henry Seymour

(Encyclopedia)Conway, Henry Seymour, 1721–95, English soldier and politician; nephew of Robert Walpole. Early in his life he entered upon concurrent and distinguished military and parliamentary careers. He fell i...

Grafton, Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3d duke of

(Encyclopedia)Grafton, Augustus Henry Fitzroy, 3d duke of, 1735–1811, British statesman. After serving as a secretary of state (1765–66), he became first lord of the treasury in Lord Chatham's administration (1...

Grenville, George

(Encyclopedia)Grenville, George, 1712–70, British statesman, brother of Earl Temple. He entered Parliament in 1741, held several cabinet posts, and in 1763 became chief minister. His prosecution (1763) of John Wi...

John, Saint

(Encyclopedia)John, Saint, one of the Twelve Apostles, traditional author of the fourth Gospel, three letters, and the Book of Revelation (see John, Gospel according to Saint; John, letters; Revelation); it is high...

St. John, John Pierce

(Encyclopedia)St. John, John Pierce, 1833–1916, American political reformer, b. Brookville, Ind. He traveled in the West and in South America, fought in the Union army in the Civil War, and after 1869 practiced l...

Browse by Subject