Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Sidney, Sir Philip

(Encyclopedia)Sidney or Sydney, Sir Philip, 1554–86, English author and courtier. He was one of the leading members of Queen Elizabeth's court and a model of Renaissance chivalry. He served in several diplomatic ...

Siemens, Sir William

(Encyclopedia)Siemens, Sir William, 1823–83, English electrical engineer, b. Germany; brother of Ernst Werner von Siemens. Originally his name was Carl Wilhelm Siemens. After visiting England to introduce an elec...

Sifton, Sir Clifford

(Encyclopedia)Sifton, Sir Clifford, 1861–1929, Canadian political leader, b. Ontario. A lawyer in Manitoba, he sat (1888–96) in the provincial legislature and then served (1896–1911) in the Canadian House of ...

Barton, Sir Edmund

(Encyclopedia)Barton, Sir Edmund, 1849–1920, Australian jurist and statesman. He was a leader in the movement for Australian federation, and became the first prime minister of the Commonwealth of Australia in 190...

Stephen, Sir James

(Encyclopedia)Stephen, Sir James, 1789–1859, British colonial administrator; father of Leslie and James Fitzjames Stephen. He served (1825–35) as permanent counsel to the colonial office and Board of Trade and ...

Stephen, Sir Leslie

(Encyclopedia)Stephen, Sir Leslie, 1832–1904, English author and critic. The first serious critic of the novel, he was also editor of the great Dictionary of National Biography from its beginning in 1882 until 18...

Shirley, Sir Anthony

(Encyclopedia)Shirley or Sherley, Sir Anthony, 1565–1636?, English adventurer. He fought in the Netherlands (1586) under the earl of Leicester and in France (1591) under the earl of Essex, who became his patron. ...

Shovell, Sir Clowdisley

(Encyclopedia)Shovell, Sir Clowdisley, or Sir Cloudesley Shovel kloudzˈlē shŭvˈəl [key], 1650–1707, English admiral. In the War of the Grand Alliance he burned enemy ships at the battle of La Hogue in 1692 a...

Steele, Sir Richard

(Encyclopedia)Steele, Sir Richard, 1672–1729, English essayist and playwright, b. Dublin. After studying at Charterhouse and Oxford, he entered the army in 1694 and rose to the rank of captain by 1700. His first ...

Reynolds, Sir Joshua

(Encyclopedia)Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 1723–92, English portrait painter, b. Devonshire. Long considered historically the most important of England's painters, by his learned example he raised the artist to a positi...

Browse by Subject