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Astor, William Backhouse, 1792–1875, American financier

(Encyclopedia)Astor, William Backhouse, 1792–1875, American financier, b. New York City; son of John Jacob Astor (1763–1848). Educated in Germany, he was associated with his father in business after 1818. Later...

Morris, Robert, 1931–2018, American artist

(Encyclopedia)Morris, Robert (Robert Eugene Morris), 1931–2018, American artist, b. Kansas City, Mo., studied Kansas City Art Institute, California School of Fine Arts, Reed College. He settled in New York City i...

Bingham, Hiram, 1831–1908, American Congregationalist missionary

(Encyclopedia)Bingham, Hiram, 1831–1908, American Congregationalist missionary, b. Honolulu; son of Hiram Bingham (1789–1869). In 1857 he founded a mission on Abaiang in the Gilbert Islands (now part of Kiribat...

Means, Philip Ainsworth

(Encyclopedia)Means, Philip Ainsworth, 1892–1944, American historian and archaeologist, b. Boston. An assistant on a Yale expedition to Peru (1914–15), he was later (1920–21) director of the National Museum o...

Astor, John Jacob, 1822–90, American financier

(Encyclopedia)Astor, John Jacob, 1822–90, American financier, b. New York City, educated at Columbia and Göttingen universities and at Harvard law school; son of William Backhouse Astor (1792–1875). He served ...

Morris, Lewis, 1726–98, American political leader

(Encyclopedia)Morris, Lewis, 1726–98, American political leader, signer of the Declaration of Independence, b. Morrisania, N.Y. (now part of the Bronx); elder half-brother of Gouverneur Morris. A wealthy landowne...

Maine, ship

(Encyclopedia)Maine, U.S. battleship destroyed (Feb. 15, 1898) in Havana harbor by an explosion that killed 260 men. The incident helped precipitate the Spanish-American War (Apr., 1898). Commanded by Capt. Charles...

American Association for the Advancement of Science

(Encyclopedia)American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), private organization devoted to furthering the work of scientists and improving the effectiveness of science in the promotion of human welfa...

James, Thomas, American fur trader and pioneer

(Encyclopedia)James, Thomas, 1782–1847, American fur trader and pioneer, b. Maryland. He accompanied the 1809 expedition of the Missouri Fur Company up the Missouri River. He left the expedition at the Mandan vil...

Croghan, George, 1791–1849, American military officer

(Encyclopedia)Croghan, George, 1791–1849, American military officer, b. near Louisville, Ky.; nephew of George Rogers Clark and William Clark. He won public acclaim and a congressional award for his defense of Fo...