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Boydell, John

(Encyclopedia)Boydell, John boiˈdəl [key], 1719–1804, English engraver and print publisher, originator and builder of the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery. He studied engraving in London and early began to amass his...

Bartram, John

(Encyclopedia)Bartram, John bärˈtrəm [key], 1699–1777, pioneer American botanist, b. near Darby, Pa. He had no formal schooling but possessed a keen mind and a great interest in plants. In 1728 he purchased la...

Smeaton, John

(Encyclopedia)Smeaton, John smēˈtən [key], 1724–92, English civil engineer. He became an instrument maker, improved navigation instruments, and carried out many experiments on mechanical apparatus. Between 175...

Canaday, John

(Encyclopedia)Canaday, John kănˈədāˌ, –dē [key], 1907–85, American art critic, b. Fort Scott, Kans. A columnist for the New York Times, Canaday was noted for taking conservative positions in the art world...

Burke, John

(Encyclopedia)Burke, John, 1787–1848, Irish genealogist. He issued (1826) A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the United Kingdom. He published the guide irregularly until 1847,...

Pierce, John

(Encyclopedia)Pierce, John, 1910–2002, American electrical engineer, b. Des Moines, Iowa, grad. California Institute of Technology (Ph.D. 1936). Pierce worked at the Bell Telephone Laboratories, where he proposed...

Porteous, John

(Encyclopedia)Porteous, John pôrˈtēəs [key], d. 1736, British soldier. He was captain of the Edinburgh town guard at the execution (1736) of Andrew Wilson, a smuggler. When the crowd, which was sympathetic to W...

Benbow, John

(Encyclopedia)Benbow, John bĕnˈbō [key], 1653–1702, English admiral. Some of the stories of his exploits seem to be legendary, but he did command the fleet and successfully fight the French at La Hogue (1692),...

Adair, John

(Encyclopedia)Adair, John ədârˈ [key], 1757–1840, American pioneer in Kentucky, b. North Carolina. He went into the Kentucky country in 1786 and became famous as an Indian fighter and as a political leader. In...

Heywood, John

(Encyclopedia)Heywood, John hāˈwo͝od [key], 1497?–1580?, English dramatist. He was employed at the courts of Henry VIII and Mary I as a singer, musician, and playwright. At the accession of Elizabeth I in 1564...