Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Ney, Elisabeth

(Encyclopedia)Ney, Elisabeth or Elisabet nī [key], 1833–1907, German-American sculptor, b. Münster. After studying sculpture at Munich and Berlin, she traveled widely and executed busts of King George V of Hano...

Whyte, William Hollingsworth

(Encyclopedia)Whyte, William Hollingsworth, 1917–99, b. West Chester, Pa. He graduated from Princeton (1939), then served in the Marine Corps (1941–45). Writing for Fortune magazine (1946–58), he developed a ...

Bruce

(Encyclopedia)Bruce, Scottish royal family descended from an 11th-century Norman duke, Robert de Brus. He aided William I in his conquest of England (1066) and was given lands in England. His son was granted fiefs ...

Narcissus, in Roman history

(Encyclopedia)Narcissus, d. a.d. 54, secretary of the Roman Emperor Claudius I. A freedman with great influence, he revealed to Claudius the intrigue of Messalina and expedited her death (a.d. 48). The woman that N...

Gordon, Patrick

(Encyclopedia)Gordon, Patrick, 1635–99, Scottish soldier of fortune and Russian general, b. Scotland. After serving alternately on both sides in the war between Sweden and Poland (1655–60), he entered the Russi...

Dexter, Timothy

(Encyclopedia)Dexter, Timothy, 1747–1806, American merchant and eccentric, b. Malden, Mass. He gained a fortune from the American Revolution by buying up depreciated certificates of indebtedness that were afterwa...

Smith, Gerrit

(Encyclopedia)Smith, Gerrit, 1797–1874, American reformer, b. Utica, N.Y. He spent much of his fortune in various reforms, most notably abolition. He was an organizer of the Liberty party and was candidate for go...

Byrd, William, 1652–1704, English planter in colonial Virginia

(Encyclopedia)Byrd, William, 1652–1704, English planter in early Virginia. He came to America as a youth and took up lands he had inherited on both sides of the James River, including the site that would later be...

Henry I, king of France

(Encyclopedia)Henry I, c.1008–1060, king of France (1031–60), son and successor of King Robert II. To defend his throne against his mother, his brothers Robert and Eudes, and subsequently against the count of B...

Fair, James Graham

(Encyclopedia)Fair, James Graham, 1831–94, American financier, b. near Belfast, Ireland. He emigrated to America as a child, grew up on an Illinois farm, and went west in 1851 in search of gold. In partnership wi...