Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Psalmanazar, George

(Encyclopedia)Psalmanazar, George sălˌmənāˈzər [key], 1679?–1763, English literary imposter. His real name is not known. Born and educated in France, he developed a marked ability in learning languages. He ...

Hearst, George

(Encyclopedia)Hearst, George hûrst [key], 1820–91, American mining magnate, U.S. senator (1886–91), b. Franklin co., Mo. He went to California in 1850 and became a mining prospector and geologist. He successfu...

Croker, Richard

(Encyclopedia)Croker, Richard, 1841–1922, American politician, head of Tammany Hall from 1886 to 1902, b. Co. Cork, Ireland. He became prominent as Democratic leader of New York City's East Side and as an aide of...

Channing, Edward

(Encyclopedia)Channing, Edward, 1856–1931, American historian, b. Dorchester, Mass.; son of William Ellery Channing (1818–1901). He was a prominent teacher at Harvard from 1883 until his retirement in 1929, hol...

FitzGerald, Edward

(Encyclopedia)FitzGerald, Edward, 1809–83, English man of letters. A dilettante and scholar, FitzGerald spent most of his life living in seclusion in Suffolk. His masterpiece, a translation of The Rubaiyat of Oma...

Levi, Edward Hirsch

(Encyclopedia)Levi, Edward Hirsch lĕvˈē, lēˈvē [key], 1911–2000, American lawyer, legal educator, and public official, b. Chicago, grad. Univ. of Chicago and Yale Univ. law school. Long associated with the ...

Plumptre, Edward Hayes

(Encyclopedia)Plumptre, Edward Hayes plŭmpˈtrē [key], 1821–91, English clergyman and classical scholar. At King's College, London, he was chaplain (1847–68), professor of pastoral theology (1853–63), and p...

Westermarck, Edward Alexander

(Encyclopedia)Westermarck, Edward Alexander vĕsˈtərmärk, wĕsˈ– [key], 1862–1939, Finnish social philosopher and anthropologist. He was professor of sociology at the Univ. of London (1907–30) and profess...

Temple, Richard Grenville-Temple, Earl

(Encyclopedia)Temple, Richard Grenville-Temple, Earl, 1711–79, British statesman; elder brother of George Grenville and brother-in-law of William Pitt, 1st earl of Chatham. He succeeded to his mother's peerage in...

Browse by Subject