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Murray, Thomas Randolph, 1st earl of

(Encyclopedia)Murray or Moray, Thomas Randolph, 1st earl of both: mûrˈē [key], d. 1332, Scottish nobleman; nephew of Robert I. He joined Robert's revolt against Edward I of England in 1306 but was captured at th...

Lovelace, Richard

(Encyclopedia)Lovelace, Richard, 1618–1657?, one of the English Cavalier poets. He was the son of a Kentish knight and was educated at Oxford. In 1642 he was briefly imprisoned for having presented to Parliament ...

Montefiore, Sir Moses Haim

(Encyclopedia)Montefiore, Sir Moses Haim mŏnˌtĭfēôˈrē [key], 1784–1885, British-Jewish philanthropist, b. Italy. He married a Rothschild and became affiliated with the family's banking business. He accumul...

Laffitte, Jacques

(Encyclopedia)Laffitte, Jacques zhäk läfētˈ [key], 1767–1844, French banker and politician. He rose from poverty to become one of the wealthiest and most influential men in France. He was director (1809) and ...

Rivas, Ángel de Saavedra, duque de

(Encyclopedia)Rivas, Ángel de Saavedra, duque de änˈhĕl ᵺā säˌävāˈᵺrä do͞oˈkā ᵺā rēˈväs [key], 1791–1865, Spanish romantic poet and dramatist. A liberal, Rivas was condemned to death and f...

Child, Sir John

(Encyclopedia)Child, Sir John, d. 1690, English administrator in India. In 1680 he was appointed the British East India Company's agent at Surat, then the company's main factory (i.e., trading station) in W India. ...

Frémont, Jessie Benton

(Encyclopedia)Frémont, Jessie Benton frēˈmŏnt [key], 1824–1902, American author, b. Lexington, Va.; daughter of Thomas H. Benton and wife of John Charles Frémont. Her elopement with the dashing Frémont caus...

Piazzetta, Giovanni Batista

(Encyclopedia)Piazzetta, Giovanni Batista jōvänˈnē bätēsˈtä pēätsĕtˈtä [key], 1682–1754, Italian painter. An exponent of the Venetian school, Piazzetta combined soft colors with a dramatic, chiaroscu...

Carver, John

(Encyclopedia)Carver, John, c.1576–1621, first governor of Plymouth Colony. A wealthy London merchant, in 1609 he emigrated to Holland, where he soon joined the Pilgrims at Leiden. His excellent character and his...

Bourke-White, Margaret

(Encyclopedia)Bourke-White, Margaret bûrkˈ hwīt [key], 1904–71, American photo-journalist, b. New York City. One of the original staff photographers at Fortune, Life, and Time magazines, Bourke-White was noted...