Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Beecher, Henry Ward

(Encyclopedia)Beecher, Henry Ward, 1813–87, American Congregational preacher, orator, and lecturer, b. Litchfield, Conn.; son of Lyman Beecher and brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe. He graduated from Amherst in 18...

Jackson, Jesse Louis

(Encyclopedia)Jackson, Jesse Louis, 1941–, African-American political leader, clergyman, and civil-rights activist, b. Greenville, S.C. Raised in poverty, he attended the Chicago Theological Seminary (1963–65) ...

Randall, Samuel Jackson

(Encyclopedia)Randall, Samuel Jackson, 1828–90, American politician, b. Philadelphia. A Democrat, he was a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania from 1863 until his death. As speaker (1876–81), he presided over...

Quant, Mary

(Encyclopedia)Quant, Mary, 1934–, British fashion designer. After opening her boutique in London to sell clothes, she began to design them as well. She was one of the originators of the “mod” or “Chelsea”...

Garden, Mary

(Encyclopedia)Garden, Mary, 1874–1967, Scottish-American operatic soprano, b. Aberdeen, Scotland, studied in Paris. Her debut (1900) occurred when she replaced, without rehearsal, the star of Charpentier's Louise...

Pembroke, Mary Herbert, countess of

(Encyclopedia)Pembroke, Mary Herbert, countess of, 1561–1621; sister of Sir Philip Sidney. His Arcadia was written for her, and after his death she prepared it and his other works for publication. Patron of a num...

Johnston, Mary

(Encyclopedia)Johnston, Mary, 1870–1936, American novelist, b. Buchanan, Va. Her books combine romance with history. She is chiefly remembered for To Have and to Hold (1900), a story of colonial Virginia, and its...

Davis, Andrew Jackson

(Encyclopedia)Davis, Andrew Jackson, 1826–1910, American spiritualist, b. Blooming Grove, N.Y. He became a professional clairvoyant, known as the “Poughkeepsie Seer,” after being mesmerized in 1843. He was po...

Anderson, Mary

(Encyclopedia)Anderson, Mary, 1872–1964, American labor expert, chief (1919–44) of the Women's Bureau, U.S. Dept. of Labor, b. Sweden. She emigrated to the United States in 1888. After some years as an industri...

Browse by Subject