William A Duer was an American politician and jurist. He was born in 1780 and died in 1858. He was prominent in the New York Assembly in 1814, was Judge of the New York Supreme Court from 1822 until 1829, when he became president of Columbia College, resigning in 1842, and published some historical works. Research William A Duer
William A Graham was an American politician. He was born in 1804 and died in 1875. He represented North Carolina in the US Senate from 1840 to 1843, was Governor of the State from 1845 to 1849, Secretary of the Navy in Fillmore's Cabinet from 1850 to 1853, and Whigcandidate for Vice-President in 1852. Research William A Graham
William Aberhart (nicknamed Bible Bill) was a Canadian politician. He was born in 1878 at Huron County, Ontario and died in 1943. After working as a teacher and a clergyman in 1935 he became a member of the Alberta legislature, forming the Canadian Social Credit Party and becoming Premier in the same year. He campaigned for legislation to give each Albertan a $5 a monthdividend from the province's natural resources, but was blocked by the federal government. Research William Aberhart
William Abraham (known as Mabon for his skill as a singer) was a Welsh trade unionist and politician. He was born in 1842 at Cwmavon, Glamorganshire and died in 1922. A leader of the miner's union in South Wales he argued strongly for a system of pay related to the selling price of coal. In 1885 he was elected MP for Rhondda, a position he held until 1918. After the miner's strike of 1898 that pay system was replaced with collective bargaining and he lost popularity in the union. Research William Abraham
William Aikman was a Scottish portrait painter. He was born in 1682 at Forfarshire and died in 1731. He studied at Edinburgh and in Italy, visited Turkey and spent the later portion of his life in London where he enjoyed the friendship of most of the distinguished men of Queen Anne's time. Research William Aikman
Sir William Alexander (Lord Stirling) was an American soldier. He was born in 1726 at New York and died in 1783. In 1757 he laid claim before the House of Lords to the earldom of Stirling, but in vain. He became Surveyor-General of New York and in 1775 a colonel in the Revolutionary army. In 1776 he was promoted to brigadier-general and in 1777 major-general. He distinguished himself at Trenton, Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth. Research William Alexander
Sir William Allan was a Scottish painter. He was born in 1782 at Edinburgh and died in 1850. He was apprenticed as a coach painter and later studied at the Royal Academy schools in London. After a spell in Russia between 1805 and 1814 he returned to Edinburgh and took to genre and history painting. In 1838 he was elected president of the Royal Scottish Academy and in 1841 succeeded Sir David Wilkie as limner to the queen in Scotland, an office which carried a knighthood. Research William Allan
William Allen was an English Cardinal. He was born in 1532 at Rossall and died in 1594. As a Catholic he was forced to leave England in 1561 and 1565. In 1568 he founded the English college at Douai to train missionary priests for the re-conversion of England to Catholicism, and later founded similar establishments at Valladolid and Rome. Research William Allen
William Allen White was an American newspaper editor and writer. He was born in 1868 at Emporia, Kansas and died in 1944. In 1895 he started Emporia Daily and Weekly Gazette, and became known nationally during the 1896 presidential election for his anti-Populist editorial 'What's the matter with Kansas?'. During the Second World War he founded the 'Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies' that encouraged America, then neutral, to send aid to Britain and the Allies in their fight against NaziGermany and encouraged America to enter the war on the side of the Allies. Research William Allen White
William Allingham was a British poet. He was born in 1824 at Ballyshannon and died in 1889. After working in Customs in Ireland and England he retired in 1870 and in 1874 became editor of Farser's Magazine. Research William Allingham
William Ames was an English theologian and cleric. He was born in 1576 at Ipswich, Suffolk and died in 1633. While studying at Cambridge, he clashed with the authorities on account of his religious Nonconformity and denunciations of university life, whereupon he fled to Holland. Installed as pastor in Franeker, Friesland, 1622, he established himself as professor, preacher, and theologian. His book De conscientia connected Christianity with the common things of life. His Puritan views, expounded in De conscientia et ejus jure vel casibus/Fresh Suit against Ceremonies 1630, helped to convert Richard Baxter to Nonconformity. Research William Ames
William Archer was a Scottish journalist and miscellaneous writer. He was born in 1856. Educated at Edinburgh University, he went to London after some experience of journalism at Edinburgh, and after a visit to Australia was called to the bar, and became dramatic critic for The World in 1884. He did much to introduce Ibsen to the English public, by translating his dramas and otherwise, and wrote English Dramatists of To-Day; A Life of Macready; About the Theatre: Essays and Studies; Masks or Faces: a Study on the Psychology of Acting; The Theatrical World, a collection of his dramatic criticisms (in five volumes); Study and Stage; America To-Day (the result of a visit in 1900); Poets of the Younger Generation; Real Conversations, the result of a series of interviews with persons of note; etc. Research William Archer
William George Armstrong was a British engineer and inventor. He was born in 1810 at Newcastle and died in 1900. A solicitor by trade, his real interest were in science and by 1841 he was publishing papers on engineering, mainly specialising in hydraulic machinery. During the Crimean War he turned his attention to the invention of guns and invented the breech-loading Armstrong Gun. In 1859 William Armstrong was knighted and in 1887 made a peer as Baron Armstrong. Research William Armstrong
Sir William Arrol was a Scottish engineer. He was born in 1839 and died in 1913. In 1868 he founded the firm of William Arrol and Company which was responsible for the Forth Bridge, Tower Bridge and the Manchester Ship Canal. In 1890 William Arrol was knighted and from 1895 until 1906 sat in Parliament as Liberal Unionist member for South Ayrshire. Research William Arrol
William Atkinson was an English policeman. The first policeman attested by the newly formed Metropolitan police, he was dismissed for drunkenness on the first day of patrol on September the 29th 1829, along with the second policeman attested, William Alcock. Research William Atkinson
William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland was the second son of George II of England. He was born in 1721 and died in 1765. At the battle of Dettingen he was wounded when fighting at the side of his father, and though unsuccessful at Fontenoy, where he had the command of the allied army, he rose in reputation by somewhat brutally subduing the insurrection in Scotland caused by the landing of Charles Edward Stuart in 1745. In 1747 he was defeated by Marshal Saxe at Lafeld, and in 1757 he lost the battle of Hastenbeck, against D'Estrees, and concluded the convention at Closterseven, by which 40,000 English soldiers were disarmed and disbanded, and Hanover placed at the mercy of the French. He then retired in disgrace from his public offices, and took no active part in affairs. Research William Augustus
William Edmondstoune Aytoun was a Scottish poet and prosewriter. He was born in 1813 at Edinburgh in 1813 and died in1865. Educated at the University of Edinburgh, he became a writer to the signet in 1835, and passed as advocate in 1840. He issued a volume of poems in 1832, by 1836 was a contributor to Blackwood's Magazine, and he published the Life and Times of Richard I in 1840. In 1848 he published a collection of ballads entitled Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers, which has proved the most popular of all his works. It was followed in 1854 by Firmilian, a Spasmodic Tragedy (intended to ridicule certain popular writers); the Bon Gaultier Ballads (parodies and other humorous pieces, in conjunction with TheodoreMartin), 1855; in 1856 the poemBothwell; and in subsequent years by Norman Sinclair, The Glenmutchkin Railway, and other stories. In 1858 he edited a critical and annotated collection of the Ballads of Scotland. A translation of the poems and ballads of Goethe was executed by him in conjunction with Theodore Martin. In 1845 he became professor of rhetoric and English literature in the University of Edinburgh - a position which he held until his death. In 1852 he was appointed Sheriff of Orkney and Shetland. Research William Aytoun
William B Washburn was an American politician. He was born in 1820 and died in 1887. He represented Massachusetts in the US Congress as a Republican from 1862 to 1872. He was Governor of Massachusetts from 1872 to 1874, and a US Senator from 1874 to 1875. Research William B. Washburn
William Baffin was an English navigator. He was born in 1584 and died in 1622. He is famous for his discoveries in the Arctic regions. In 1616 he ascertained the limits of Baffin Bay. He was killed at the siege of Ormuz, in the East Indies, 1622. Research William Baffin
William Balfour Baikie was a Scottish explorer. He was born in 1824 ar the Orkney Islands and died in 1863. He joined the British navy, and was made surgeon and naturalist of the Niger expedition of 1854. He took the command on the death of the senior officer, and explored the Niger for 250 miles. Another expedition, which started in 1857, passed two years in exploring, when the vessel was wrecked, and all the members, with the exception of William Baikie, returned to England. With none but native assistants he formed a settlement at the confluence of the Benue and the Quorra, in which he was ruler, teacher, and physician, and within a few years he opened the Niger to navigation, made roads, established a market, etc. Research William Baikie
Willem Barents was a Dutch navigator who discovered Spitsbergen on his third voyage to find a north east passage to Asia in 1594. He died in 1597. Research William Barents
William Barnes was an English poet and philologist. He was born in 1801 at Rushay, Dorset and died in 1886. Educated at Mullett's School, Sturminster and St John's College, Cambridge he was ordained in 1847 and in 1862 was appointed rector of Winterborne-Came. His book of poems of Rural Life in DorsetDialect was published in 1844. Research William Barnes
William T. Barry was an American politician. He was born in 1785 at Virginia and died in 1835. He was postmaster-General to president Andrew Jackson from 1829 until 1835 and was the first Postmaster-General admitted as a member into the American Cabinet. Research William Barry
William Henry Bartlett was an English artist and author. He was born in 1809 at London and died in 1854. He devoted his life to making drawings of scenes in England, on the continent of Europe, in Palestine and in the USA and Canada. Research William Bartlett
William Bates was an American ophthalmologist. He was born in 1860 and died in 1931. He wrote the book 'Better Eyesight without Glasses' which was published in 1919 and explained poor sight as a disturbance of normal mind- body coordination which results from mental, emotional or other disturbances. He developed a series of exercises to achieve healthy eyesight which emphasize relaxation, memory, imagination, and perception to improve the communication between the eyes and the brain. Research William Bates
William Beattie was a Scottish physician, poet, and miscellaneous writer. He was born in 1793 and died in 1875. He was author of the standard Life of Thomas Campbell, whose intimate friend he was; published several poems, including John Huss, the Heliotrope, and Polynesia; wrote a series of descriptive and historical works, beautifully illustrated by his friend and fellow-traveller, W H Bartlett, on Switzerland, Scotland, The Waldenses, The Danube, Castles and Abbeys of England, etc, and produced a vast amount of miscellaneous literary matter. He had a very extensive and lucrative medical practice. Research William Beattie
William Beaumont was an American surgeon. He was born in 1785 and died in 1853. His experiments on digestion with the Canadian St Martin, who lived for years after receiving a gunshot wound in the stomach which left an aperture of about two inches in diameter, were of great importance to physiological science. Research William Beaumont
William Beckford was an English writer famous in his time for his immense wealth and his eccentricities. He was born in 1759 at Fonthill, his father's estate in Wiltshire and died in 1844. In 1770 the death of his father left him in the possession of 1,000,000 pounds of money, and an income of 100,000 pounds a year. He travelled much, and for some time lived in Portugal. He expended an enormous sum in building and rebuilding Fonthill Abbey, near Salisbury, which he filled with rare and expensive works of art. Here he lived in seclusion for twenty years.
In 1822 the abbey and greater part of its contents were sold, and he retired to Bath, where, with a much-diminished fortune, but one amply sufficient, he lived until 1844. His literary fame rests upon his eastern tale Vathek, which he wrote in French, and a translation of which into English (said to be by a clergyman) appeared at London without his knowledge in 1784. The tale was still much read sixty years after his death, and was highly commended by LordByron. He had two daughters, one of whom became Duchess of Hamilton, and brought his valuable library to this family Research William beckford
William Bedell was an Irish bishop. He was born in 1570 at Essex and died in 1642. In 1604 he went to Venice as chaplain to Sir Henry Wotton, and remained there for eight years. After holding the living of Horingsheath from 1615 until 1627 he became provost of Trinity College, Dublin, and in 1629 Bishop of Kilmore and Ardagh, though he resigned the latter of the united sees in 1630. He set himself to reform abuses and promote the spread of Protestantism, procured the translation of the Old Testament into Irish, and by his tact and wisdom conciliated the adherents of both creeds. He underwent a brief imprisonment on the breaking out of the rebellion in 1641, and died in the year following. Research William Bedell
Sir William Beechey was an English painter. He was born in 1753 and died in 1839. He was a fashionable portrait-painter and in 1772 was elected Royal Academician, and knighted in acknowledgment of his large picture of a cavalry review, including portraits of George III, the Prince of Wales, etc. The complete catalogue of his works includes portraits of nearly all the leading personages of his day, but artistically he does not belong to the first rank of portrait-painters. Research William Beechey
William Beldham (Silver Billy) was an English cricketer. He was born in 1766 and died in 1862. He played chiefly for Hambledon and at his peak was an unrivalled high-scoring batsman. Research William Beldham
William Belknap was an American soldier and politician. He wax born in 1829 at Iowa and died in 1890. A major-general during the American Civil War, in 1869 he was appointed Secretary of War by President Ulysses Simpson Grant, a post he held until 1876 when he was impeached for accepting bribes, whereupon he resigned before the impeachment resolution passed the House, preventing his prosecution. Research William Belknap
William Bellenden was a Scottish writer. He was born between 1550 and 1560 and died in about 1632. He was distinguished for the elegance of his Latin style and was professor of belles-lettres at Paris. His principal work was De Statu Prisci Orbis, published in 1615; his other writings being chiefly compiled from Marcus Cicero, and forming the source of Middleton's Life of Cicero. Research William Bellenden
William Beloe was an English clergyman and miscellaneous writer. He was born in 1756 and died in 1817. He was educated at Cambridge, and latterly was presented to the rectory of Allhallows, London Wall, and subsequently to stalls in LincolnCathedral and St Paul's. In 1803 he became keeper of the printed books in the British Museum, a post he did not retain. His chief publications were Anecdotes of Literature and Scarce Books, published in six volumes between 1806 and 1812; a translation of Herodotus with a commentary; and the Sexagenarian, or Memoirs of a Literary Life, published in 1817. Research William Beloe
Sir William Sterndale Bennett was an English composer. He was born in 1816 at Sheffield and died in 1875. His father was an organist at Sheffield, and he became a pupil of the Royal Academy in 1826, studying under Cipriani Potter, Crotch, and Lucas and afterwards Moscheles. By the advice of Mendelssohn,whose friendship he had gained, he studied in Leipsic from 1836 to 1838, and his performances and compositions were held in high esteem by the younger German musicians, and especially by Schumann. After a period spent in teaching, conducting, and composing, he was appointed professor of music at Cambridge in 1856, and he was knighted in 1871. He was too entirely dominated by Mendelssohn's influence to do great original work. He is best known by his overtures, the Naiads and Parisina; his cantatas, the May Queen and Woman of Samaria; and his little musical sketches, Lake, Millstream, and Fountain. Research William Bennett
Lord William Charles Cavendish Bentinck was an English soldier and governor. He was born in 1774 and died in 1839. He was the second son of the third Duke of Portland. He served in Flanders, in Italy under Suwaroff, and in Egypt. He was governor of Madras from 1803 until 1805 and commanded a brigade at Corunna. In 1810 he was British plenipotentiary and commander-in-chief of the troops in Sicily; and in 1813 headed an expedition into Catalonia. In 1814 he endeavoured to stimulate a revolt against the French in Italy and took possession of Genoa. The same year he returned to England and entered Parliament. In 1827 he was sent to India as governor-general. Many wholesome measures marked his administration, which lasted until 1835, when he returned and became MP for Glasgow.
Lord William George Fredericl Cavendish Bentinck was an English politician. He was born in 1802 and died in 1848. He was the son of the fourth Duke of Portland. He entered the army, but quit it to become private secretary to Canning, and in 1827 entered Parliament. Up to 1846 he was a warm adherent of Sir Robert Peel; but in that year came forward as leader of the Protectionists in the House of Commons, abandoning the turf, in which he had long reigned supreme. With the assistance of Disraeli he maintained this position for two years, and though often illogical, and sometimes unscrupulous in his statements, he nevertheless commanded much attention by the vigour and earnestness of his oratory and deportment. Research William Bentinck
William Thomas Best was an English musician. He was born in 1826 at Carlisle and died in 1897. He went to Liverpool to study civil engineering, but became organist of a Baptist church and in 1846 a professional musician. He spent a few years in London before returning to Liverpool as organist at St George's Hall and a reputation as one of the finest organists of his time. He was in particular request at the inauguration of new organs, and in this way he inaugurated the great organ in the Albert Hall, London, in 1871, and the huge organ built for the Sydney town-hall, Australia (on the 9th of August, 1890). He gave up his post as Liverpool organist in 1894. He was an excellent pianist, a composer of music, and wrote an admirable work on The Art of Organ-playing. Research William Best
William Henry Beveridge was the first baron Beveridge. He was born in 1879 and died in 1963. He was an economist who designed the present British social security service.
William Beveridge was an English divine. He was born in 1637 and died in 1708. He studied at Cambridge, and in his twenty-first year published a work on the study of Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic, and Samaritan, with a Syriac grammar. In 1660 he became vicar of Ealing, and was, after various ecclesiastical preferments, appointed Bishop of St Asaph in 1704. His works include an Introduction to Chronology, 1669; his Synodicon, containing the Apostolic Canons, etc, 1672; and minor devotional treatises on the Christian life, public prayer, etc. Research William Beveridge
William Black was a Scottish novelist. He was born in 1841 at Glasgow and died in 1898. He first studied art, but eventually became connected with the Glasgow press. In 1864 he went to London, and in the following year joined the staff of the Morning Star, for which he was special correspondent during the Franco-Austrian war of 1866. His first novel, Love or Marriage, 1867, was only moderately successful, but his In Silk Attire, Kilmeny, the Monarch of Mincing Lane, and especially A Daughter of Heth (1871), gained him an increasingly wide circle of readers. For a few years he was assistant-editor of the Daily News. Other works: The Strange Adventures of a Phaeton (1872), A Princess of Thule (1873), The Maid of Killeena, etc. (1874), Three Feathers (1875), Madcap Violet (1876), Green Pastures and Piccadilly (1877), Macleod of Dare (1878), White Wings (1880), Sunrise (1881), The Beautiful Wretch (1882), Shandon Bells (1883), Judith Shakespeare (1884), White Heather (1885), The Strange Adventures of a House-boat (1888), In Far Lochaber (1889), The New Prince Fortunatus (1890), etc. Research William Black
Sir William Blackstone was an English jurist. He was born in 1723 at London and died in 1780. He was educated at the Charterhouse and Pembroke College, Oxford, and became fellow of All-Souls. He entered the Middle Temple in 1741, and in 1746 was called to the bar, but made little progress in the courts, though he became recorder of Wallingford. At Oxford he gave lectures on law, which suggested to Mr. Viner the idea of founding a professorship of common law at Oxford ; and Blackstone was in 1758 chosen the first Vinerian professor. In 1759 he published a new edition of the Great Charter and Charter of the Forest; and during the same year resumed his attendance at Westminster Hall with abundant success. In 1761 he was elected member of parliament for Hindon, made king's counsel and solicitor-general to the queen. He was also appointed principal of New Inn Hall; which office, with the Vinerian professorship, he soon resigned. In 1765 he published the first volume of his famous Commentaries on the Laws of England, the other three volumes being produced at intervals during the next four years. Its merits as an exposition made it for a long period the principal text-book of English law. In 1770 he was offered the post of solicitor-general, and, declining it, was knighted and made one of the justices of Common Pleas, continuing in office until his death in 1780. Research William Blackstone
William Blackwood was a Scottish publisher. He was born in 1776 in Edinburgh and died in 1834. He started as a bookseller in 1804, and soon became also a publisher. The first number of Blackwood's Magazine appeared on the 1st of April, 1817, and it was always conducted in the Tory interest. He secured as contributors most of the leading writers belonging to the Tory party, among them Sir Walter Scott, Lockhart, Hogg, Professor Wilson, De Quincey, Dr. Moir (Delta), Thomas Aird, Dr. Maginn, John Galt, and others. The work of editor he performed himself. After his death the business, developed into a large publishing concern, and was carried on by his sons, and the magazine kept its place among the leading periodicals. Later contributors to it were by Bulwer-Lytton, Professor Aytoun, Landor, Charles Lever, Sir Archibald Alison, Sir Theodore Martin, Mrs. Oliphant, W. W. Story, Frederick Locker, Lord Neaves, George Henry Lewes, and George Eliot. Research William Blackwood
William Blake was an English poet and artist. He was born in 1757 at London and died in 1827. He was apprenticed to an engraver at the age of fourteen. After completing his apprenticeship he was for a short time a student in the Royal Academy, and for years supported himself mainly by engraving for the booksellers.
In 1782 he married Catherine Boucher, who proved an invaluable help to him in his work. Next year he published Poetical Sketches in the ordinary way and without illustrations. Failing to find a publisher for his next work Songs of Innocence, he invented a process by which he was both printer and illustrator of his own poems. He engraved upon copper both the text of his poems and the surrounding decorative design, and to the pages printed from the plates an appropriate colouring was afterwards added by hand. In this way the whole of his future work was produced.
Some of his other best-known works are: Gates of Paradise, Book of Thel, Marriage of Heaven and Hell, Songs of Experience, Book of Urizen, Song of Los, Book of Ahania, etc. He also illustrated Young's Night Thoughts, Blair's Grave, and The Book of Job. The distinguishing feature of his genius was the faculty of seeing the creations of his imagination with such vividness that they were as real to him as objects of sense. Research William Blake
William Bligh was an English admiral and the commander of the ship 'Bounty' when the crew mutinied in the South Seas. He was born in 1753 in Plymouth and died in 1817 in London. The mutiny occurred while the Bounty which had been fitted out for the purpose of procuring plants of the bread-fruit tree, and introducing these into the West Indies was en route to Jamaica. William Bligh left Tahiti in 1789, and was proceeding on his voyage for Jamaica when he and eighteen men were siezed, forced into the launch, sparingly provisioned and cast adrift not far from the island of Tofoa (in the Tonga islands). After a journey of 4000 miles lasting forty-one days they reached Timor and Bligh, with twelve of his companions, arrived bacj in England in 1790. The mutineers sailed to Pitcairn Island where their ancestors still live. William Bligh became governor of New South Wales in 1806, but his harsh and despotic conduct caused him to be deposed and sent back to England. He afterwards rose to the rank of admiral. Research William Bligh
William Booth was the founder and first general of the Salvation Army. He was born in 1829 at Nottingham and died in 1912. He started his career as a Methodist minister, but left to carry out more general evangelistic work. In 1865 he started a mission in the East End of London which in 1878 assumed the name of the Salvation Army. Research William Booth
William Borlase was an English writer. He was born in 1695 in Cornwall and died in 1772. He studied at Oxford and took holy orders. In 1754 he published Antiquities of Cornwall and in 1758 Natural History of Cornwall. Research William Borlase
William Lisle Bowles was an English poet. He was born in 1762 at King' s Sutton, Northamptonshire and died in 1850. He was educated at Winchester and Oxford, where he gained high honours. In 1789 he composed a series of sonnets, by which the young minds of Coleridge and Wordsworth, then seeking for new and more natural chords in poetry, were powerfully affected. Having entered holy orders Bowles was, in 1805, presented to the living of Bremhill, in Wiltshire, where he continued to reside for the rest of his life. Besides the sonnets he published several poems (The Spirit of Discovery, The Missionary of the Andes, St John in Patmos, etc), which are characterized by graceful diction and tender sentiment rather than by any higher qualities. Research William Bowles
Sir William Bowman was an English anatomist and surgeon. He was born in 1816 and died in 1892. He was surgeon to King's College Hospital, London, Professor of Physiology and Anatomy in King's College, and was especially distinguished as an ophthalmic surgeon. He gained the Royal Society's royal medal for physiology in 1842. He collaborated with Todd in writing 'The Physiological Anatomy', and wrote on ophthalmology. He was created a baronet in 1884. Research William Bowman
William Bowyer was an English printer. He was born in 1699 in London and died in 1777. In 1729 he became printer of the votes of the House Of Commons, and subsequently printer to the Society of Antiquarians and to the Royal Society. In 1767 he was nominated printer of the journals of the House of Lords and the rolls of the House of Commons. Research William Bowyer
William Boyce was an English composer. He was born in 1710 at London and died in 1779. A pupil of Dr. Maurice Greene, he was organist of St. Paul's. In 1736 he became composer to the Chapel Royal and in 1758 organist. He wrote many pieces for the theatre and other places of entertainment, but his principal compositions are church services. One of his anthems, Blessed is he that considereth the poor, is sung every year at the festival given for the sons of the clergy. Research William Boyce
William Branch Giles was an American politician. He was born in 1762 and died in 1830. He represented Virginia in the US Congress from 1790 to 1799, 1801 to 1803, and in the Senate from 1804 to 1815. In 1826 he was a member of the Virginia Legislature, and was Democratic Governor of the State from 1826 until 1830. He was noted as a skilful parliamentary leader. Research William Branch Giles
William Brewster was an English Separatist. He was born in 1560 and died in 1644. In 1608 he led a band of Separatists from England to Holland. He obtained a grant of land in North America from the Virginia Company and took the first company of pilgrims to what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. He was pastor of the Plymouth colony until 1629. Research William Brewster
William Browne was an English poet. He was born in 1591 at Tavistock and died in 1645. In his twenty-third year he published his Britannia's Pastorals, which met with great approbation; and in the following year appeared his Shepherd's Pipe, in seven eclogues. In 1616 he published the second part of his Britannia's Pastorals, which met with equal success with the former. William Browne was a tutor to Robert Dormer, earl of Caernarvon, who was killed at the battle of Newbury, and filled a similar office in the family of the Earl of Pembroke.
William G Browne was an English traveller. He was born in 1768 at London and died in 1813, being murdered in Persia. He visited the African kingdoms of Darfur and Bornou in 1791, and was the first who made those countries known to Europeans. He published in 1799 Travels in Africa, Egypt, and Assyria, from 1792 to 1798. Research William Browne
William Spiers Bruce was a Scottish explorer and scientist. He was born in 1867 at Edinburgh and died in 1921. He undertook his first voyage as a naturalist to the polar regions in the Scottish Antarctic Expedition of 1892. Research William Bruce
William Cullen Bryant was an American poet and journalist. He was born in 1794 at Hampshire, Massachusetts and died in 1878. At ten years of age he published translations from Latin poets; at thirteen wrote The Embargo; and at eighteen the Thanatopsis. In 1815 he was admitted to the bar, and practissd with success until 1825, when he established the New York Review. In 1826 he became assistant editor of the Evening Post, a leading organ of the New York Democrats, and was editor-in-chief of the New York Evening Post from 1828 to 1878 and aided the formation of the Republican Party. His poems, first collected in 1832, took rank as the best America had up to that time produced. In 1842 he issued The Fountain and other poems; and a new edition of his poems in 1858 was followed by metrical translations of the Iliad in 1869 and of the Odyssey in 1871. His Letters of a Travellerrecord his visits to Europe in 1834 and subsequently. Research William Bryant
William Buchan was a Scottish medical writer. He was born in 1729 and died in 1805. He was the first to publish a domestic guide to medicine, which he did with the publication of Domestic Medicine: or, the Family Physician which was published in 1769. Research William Buchan
The Reverend William Buckland was an English geologist. He was born in 1784 at Axminster, Devon and died in 1856. Educated at Winchester and at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he held a fellowship from 1808 to 1825. In 1813 he was appointed reader in mineralogy at Oxford; and in 1818 a readership of geology was expressly instituted for him. A paper contributed by him to the Philosophical Transactions in 1822, entitled, Account of an Assemblage of Fossil Teeth and Bones discovered in a Cave at Kirkdale, Yorkshire, in the Year 1821, procured for him the Copley medal; and on this was founded his Reliquiae Diluvianae, published in 1823. In 1825 he was presented by his college to the living of StokeCharity, Hampshire, and the same year became one of the canons of Christ ChurchCathedral, Oxford. In 1832 he acted as president of the British Association. In 1836 his Bridgewater Treatise was published, under the title of Geology and Mineralogy considered with Reference to Natural Theology. In 1845 he was made Dean of Westminster, and in 1847 one of the trustees of the British Museum. Research William Buckland
Sir William Henry L E Bulwer was a British politician. He was born in 1801 and died in 1872. he was Minister to the USA from 1849 until 1852. He negotiated with Senator John M Clayton the Clayton-Bulwer treaty which related to the establishment of a canal through the Isthmus of Panama joining the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. Research William Bulwer
William Burke was an infamous murderer. He was born in 1792 at Orrery, County Cork, Ireland and died in 1829. In 1827 he lived in Tanner's Close, Edinburgh, in a lodging house kept by William Hare. The two men used to inveigle wayfarers into their house, make them drunk and then suffocate them in such a way as to leave no sign of violence on the bodies (this has subsequently been known as burking) with the object of selling the bodies (for eight or ten pounds) for dissection to Doctor Robert Knox. Suspicion having been aroused, Burke and Hare were arrested; the latter turned king's evidence and Burke was executed. Research William Burke
William Burn was a Scottish architect. He was born in 1789 at Edinburgh and died in 1870. He practised successfully in Edinburgh and then in London in 1844, making his reputation by public buildings. Research William Burn
William Orlando Butler was an American soldier and politician. He was born in 1791 and died in 1880. He was an officer in the War of 1812. From 1839 until 1843 he was a Democratic Congressman from Kentucky, and in 1844 failed to be elected as Governor of Kentucky. During the Mexican War he served as a major-general, and was distinguished at the taking of Monterey in 1846. In 1848 he was unsuccessful as the Democratic candidate for Vice-President. Research William Butler
William Butterfield was an English architect. He was born in 1814 and died in 1900. He did much to revive Gothicarchitecture, and largely developed the use of colour in ecclesiastic buildings by the aid of brick, marble, mosaic and painted tiles. He was the designer of the St Augustine's College, Canterbury; Keble College, Oxford; the grammar school in Exeter. Research William Butterfield
William Sproston Caine was an English politician and temperance reformer. He was born in 1842 at Seacombe and died in 1903. In 1880 he was elected MP for Scarborough and was appointed civil lord of the Admiralty in the Gladstone administration of 1880 - 1885. In 1886 he was elected by Barrow- in-Furness as a Liberal Unionist. Research William Caine
William Campbell was an American soldier. He was born in 1745 at Virginia and died in 1781. He led a corps of riflemen at King's Mountain, Guilford Court House and Eutaw Springs. In 1778 he was a commissioner to run the boundary-line between Virginia and the Cherokee country. Research William Campbell
William Carey was an English oriental scholar and Christian missionary. He was born in 1761 and died in 1834. He was early apprenticed to a shoemaker, but his natural turn for languages, and his zeal for the spread of the gospel, were too strong to be overcome. With the little assistance he could procure he acquired Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, and likewise studied theology. In 1786 he became pastor of a Baptist congregation at Moulton, and in 1787 was appointed to a similar situation in Leicester. In 1793 he sailed for the East Indies as a Baptist missionary, and in 1800, in conjunction with Marshman, Ward, and others, he founded the missionary college at Serampore. Here he had a printing-press, and issued various translations of the Scriptures. His first work was a Bengali Grammar. It was followed by the Hitopadesha, in the Mahrattatongue, a Grammar of the Telinga and Carnatic, and a Bengali Lexicon. Under his direction the whole Bible was translated into six, and the New Testament into twenty-one Hindustani dialects. He was long professor of Sanskrit, Mahratta, and Bengali, in Calcutta. Research William Carey
William Carleton was an Irish novelist. He was born in 1794 at Prillisk and died in 1869. His education commenced at a hedge-school, and terminated with two years' training in an academy kept by a relation, a priest, at Glasslough. Thence he went to Dublin to try his fortune in the walks of literature. There, in 1830 to 1832, were published his Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry. Among his other publications are: Fardorougha, the Miser; The Misfortunes of Barney Branagan; Valentine M'Clutchy; The Black Prophet; The TitheProctor; WilleyReilly; and the Evil Eye; this last novel appearing in 1860. He enjoyed a government allowance of 200 pounds per annum several years before his death. Research William Carleton
William Benjamin Carpenter was an English physiologist. He was born in 1813 and died in 1885. He studied medicine at University College, London, and at Edinburgh University, subsequently he held several lectureships in London, and ultimately became registrar at London University from 1856 until 1879. He wrote several well-known works on physiology: Principles of General and Comparative Physiology; Principles of Mental Physiology; Principles of HumanPhysiology; a Manual of Zoology, etc. He took a leading part in the expeditions sent out by government in 1868-70 for deep-sea exploration in the North Atlantic. He was chosen president of the British Association at Brighton in 1872. Research William Carpenter
William carstairs or William Carstares was a Scottish divine. He was born in 1649 near Glasgow and died in 1715. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, and afterwards at Utrecht. He was introduced to the Prince of Orange, on whom he made a favourable impression. In 1672 he came to London, and two years after he was arrested on account of his connection with the exiles in Holland, and was kept five years a prisoner in Edinburgh Castle. He was released in 1679, and afterwards played a part of some importance in the schemes of those who were working in favour of William of Orange.
Though he did not approve of it he became privy to the Rye house plot, in consequence of which he was arrested and tortured. Being released he returned to Holland, and was received by the Prince of Orange as a sufferer in his cause. His scholarship, sagacity, and political information won for him the confidence of William, who planned the invasion of 1688 mainly by his advice. When William was settled on the throne William Carstairs was constantly consulted by him on Scotch affairs. He was the chief agent between the Church of Scotland and the court, and was very instrumental in the establishment of Presbyterianism, to which William was averse.
On the death of William he was no longer employed on public business, but Anne retained him as her chaplain royal, and made him principal of the University of Edinburgh. When the union of the two kingdoms was agitated he took a decided part in its favour. He was repeatedly moderator of the General Assembly of the Church. His countrymen have mostly looked upon him as an enlightened patriot. Research William Carstairs
William Cassidy was an American journalist and politician. He was born in 1815 at New York and died in 1873. He was editor of the 'AlbanyAtlas' and afterward of the 'AlbanyArgus' and one of the principal members of the 'Albany Regency'. Research William Cassidy
William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle, was an Enfglish soldier. He was born in 1592 and died in 1676. The son of Sir Charles Cavendish, he was made Earl of Newcastle by Charles I. On the approach of hostilities between the crown and parliament he embraced the royal cause, and was invested with a commission constituting him general of all his majesty's forces raised north of the Trent, with very ample powers. Through great exertions and the expenditure of large sums from his private fortune he levied a considerable army, with which, for some time, he maintained the king's cause in the north. When the royal cause became hopeless he retired to Holland. He returned after an absence of eighteen years, and was rewarded for his services and sufferings with the dignity of duke. He was the author of several mediocre poems and plays, and a treatise on horsemanship.
William Cavendish, first Duke of Devonshire, was an English statesman and patriot. He was born in 1640 and died in 1707. On various occasions he distinguished himself by his spirit and valour, and in 1677 began that opposition to the arbitrary measures of the ministers of Charles II which caused him to be regarded as one of the most determined friends of the liberties of hia country. He took an active part in promoting the Revolution, and was one of the first who declared for the Prince of Orange, being rewarded with the dignity of duke. Research William Cavendish
William Caxton was the first English printer. He was born in 1422 at Kent and died in 1491. He served an apprenticeship to Robert Large, a London mercer. On the death of his master William Caxton went into business for himself at Bruges. He was appointed about 1463 governor at Bruges to the London Association of Merchant Adventurers. About 1471 he entered the service of Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy, sister of Edward IV.
He now learned the newly-discovered art of printing, probably at Cologne; and his Recuyell of the Histories of Troy, the translation of a popular mediaeval romance, was printed about 1474, probably at Bruges, and is the earliest specimen of typography in the English language. His Game and Playe of the Chesse, Bruges, 1475, is the second English book printed. In 1476 he returned to England, and in 1477 printed at Westminster The Dictes and Sayings of the Philosophers, the first book printed in England. In fourteen years he printed nearly 80 separate books, nearly all of folio size, some of which passed through two editions, and a few through three.
He translated twenty-one books, mainly romances, from the French, and one (Reynard the Fox) from the Dutch, helping materially to fix the literary language. He was patronized by Edward IV, Richard III, and Henry VII; and he was on intimate terms with Earl Rivers, the Earl of Worcester, and others of the nobility, the two noblemen named having even translated works for his press. Besides the works named above he printed Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Troylus and Creside, Book of Fame, and translation of Boethius; Gower's Confessio Amantis; works by Lydgate; Malory's King Arthur; the Golden Legend ; The Fables of AEsop; erc.
His books have no title-pages, but are frequently provided with prologues and colophons. His types are in the Gothic character, and copied so closely from the handwriting of his time, that many of his books have been mistaken for manuscript. In some no punctuation is used; in others the full point and colon only; commas are represented by a long or short upright line.
*William Channing
William Ellery Channing was an American theologian and writer. He was born in 1780 at Massachusetts and died in 1842. Educated at Harvard from 1798 until 1800 he was a private instructor in Richmond, studied theology at Cambridge and was settled over the Federal Street Church in Boston in 1803, where he became the leader of the Unitarian movement then stirring New England, and active in all the philanthropic enterprises of the time. Research William Caxton
William Cecil, LordBurleigh, was an English statesman. He was born in 1520 at Bourne in Lincolnshire and died in 1598. He was the son of Richard Cecil, master of the robes to Henry VIII. He studied at St John's College, Cambridge, whence he removed to Gray's Inn, with a view to prepare himself for the practice of the law, but an introduction to the court of Henry VIII changed his aims. On the accession of Edward VI his interests were advanced by the protectorSomerset, whom he accompanied in the expedition to Scotland. He held no public office during the reign of Mary, and by extraordinary caution managed to escape persecution. On the accession of Elizabeth he was appointed privy-councillor and secretary of state, and during all the rest of his life he was at the helm of affairs. One of the first acts of her reign was the settlement of religion, which William Cecil conducted with great skill and prudence, considering the difficulties to be encountered. The general tenor of William Cecil's policy was cautious, and rested upon an avoidance of open hostilities, and a reliance on secret negotiation and intrigues with opposing parties in the neighbouring countries, with a view to avert the dangers which threatened his own. On the suppression of the northern rebellion in 1571 Elizabeth I raised him to the peerage by the title of BaronBurleigh. Much of the glory of the reign of Elizabeth I is due to the counsels and measures of William Cecil. Research William Cecil
William Cheselden was an English surgeon and anatomist. He was born in 1688 at Leicestershire and died in 1752. He went to London to prosecute his studies, and at the age of twenty-two began to give lectures on anatomy. In 1713 he published a treatise on the Anatomy of the Human Body, long esteemed a favourite manual of the science. In 1723 he published a Treatise on the High Operation for the Stone, and afterwards added to his reputation by operating for the stone. In 1733 was published his Osteography, or Anatomy of the Bones, consisting of plates and short explanations, a splendid and accurate work. Research William Cheselden
William Chillingworth was an English divine. He was born in 1602 at Oxford and died in 1644. He was educated at Trinity College, where metaphysics and theology were his favourite pursuits. Subtle reasoning on authority and infallibility led him for a time into the Roman Catholic Church, but he afterwards returned to the English Church, and published in 1638 a great work in justification of himself, The Religion of Protestants a Safe Way to Salvation. He was made Chancellor of the bishopric of Salisbury, and on the outbreak of the English Civil War supported the king's cause and was made prisoner at the surrender of Arundel Castle. Sermons and other works were also published by him, but his Religion of Protestants, which formed an epoch in English theology, is what has given him lasting fame. Research William Chillingworth
William Claiborne also known as William Clayborne was an American colonist. He was born in 1589 and died in 1676. In 1631, under a license from Charles I, he established a trading post on Kent Island in Chesapake Bay. His claim to this involved Virginia and Maryland, as well as himself, in fierce disputes. LordBaltimore expelled him in 1635, but in 1645 he, in co-operation with CaptainRichard Ingle, overthrew the Roman Catholic government. In the following year Calvert was reinstated, but in 1651 William Claiborne, as a commissioner of Parliament, reduced Virginia and Maryland to submission. Research William Claiborne
William Clark was an American soldier. He was born in 1770 and died in 1838. In 1804, by appointment of Jefferson, he joined CaptainMeriwether Lewis in the famous expedition to the mouth of the Columbia River; was Governor of Missouri Territory from 1813 until 1821 and, from 1822 until his death, superintendent of Indian affairs at St Louis. Research William Clark
William Clifford was an English philosopher and mathematician. He was born in 1845 at Exeter and died in 1879. Educated at King's College, London, and at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated as second wrangler, he was professor at University College London. His mathematical works include treatises and lectures on elliptic functions and non-Euclidean geometry, bi-quaternions and Riemann's surface. His philosophical works deal mainly with the relations between the individual and society, especially in ethics. Research William Clifford
William Cobbett was a British author and politician. He was born in 1762 at Farnham and died in 1835. In 1783 he went to London where he became a solicitor's clerk, but after nine months he joined the army, enlisting into the 54th Foot, and shortly after went with the regiment to Nova Scotia. He obtained his discharge in 1791, married and after a visit to France went to America in 1792 to commence as a political writer and opened a book shop in Philadelphia, occupying himself also with teaching and translating.
He established a newspaper, 'Peter Porcupine's Gaxette', but his trenchant articles resulted in him being sued and he left America in disgust, arriving back in London in 1801 where he started another newspaper, the 'Porcupine' in support of Pitt's policy but which failed. He then started the Weekly Political Register, which soon acquired a great circulation. The Register had started as a Tory paper in support of Pitt, but gradually changed its politics until it became known as the most daring and uncompromising of the government's opponents. Three times heavily fined for libel, William Cobbett continued his attacks on the government, in consequence of which he deemed it prudent to retreat to the United States in 1817, transmitting his articles regularly, however, for the Register.
In 1819 he returned to England, and made an unsuccessful attempt to get into parliament for Coventry. About the same period he commenced a series of papers entitled Rural Rides, afterwards reprinted, which contain charming pictures of English country scenery, and are among the best of his productions. In 1824-1827 appeared his History of the Reformation, in which he vilifies Queen Elizabeth I and the leading reformers. On the passing of the Reform Bill in 1832 he was returned as member for Oldham, but was indifferently successful in the House. Research William Cobbett
William Frederick Cody was an American scout and showman. He was born in 1846 and died in 1917. He coined the nickname 'Buffalo Bill' when in 1867 - 1868 he supplied 4000 buffaloes as food to the employees on the KansasPacificrailway. He toured America and Europe with his famous Wild West Show between 1883 and 1887 and in 1904 wrote 'The Adventures of Buffalo Bill'. Research William Cody
William T Coleman was an American pioneer. He was born in 1824 and died in 1893. He was an active member of the 'Vigilance Committee' of 1851, and chairman of its executive department in 1856. Research William Coleman
William Collins was an English poet. He was born in 1721 at Chichester and died in 1759. While studying at Oxford he wrote his Persian Eclogues (1742), afterwards republished as Oriental Eclogues. He graduated in 1743, and after some wanderings settled down to try a literary career in London. In 1746 he published his Odes, containing pieces which now rank amongst the finest lyrics in the language. The death of an uncle in 1749 put him in possession of 2000 pounds, which sufficed to maintain him for the rest of his short life. Disappointed with the reception his poems met with, and unstrung by irregular habits and excitement, he fell into a nervous melancholy, from which he never quite recovered and he died in 1759.
William Collins was an English landscape and figure painter. He was born in 1788 at London and died in 1847. He entered the Royal Academy as a student in 1807 and in 1812 he attracted attention by The Sale of the Pet Lamb. He was elected an ARA in 1814, and in 1820 he became a full academician. He was in Italy from 1836 to 1838, and seems to have permanently damaged his health by painting in the full glare of the noondaysun. He died from heart disease in London in 1847. Of his numerous works, several of wliich were very popular in engravings, the following may be named: The Bird-catchers, Scene on the Coast of Norfolk, The Prawn-catchers, Rustic Civility, As Happy as a King, A Scene near Subiaco, Our Saviour with the Doctors in the Temple, Early Morning. He left two sons, William Wilkie Collins and Charles Allston Collins, who gained some reputation in painting and literature, and married a daughter of Charles Dickens.
William Wilkie Collins was an English novelist. He was born in 1824 and died in 1889. He was entered at Lincoln's Inn in 1846, and was called to the bar in 1851. He began his literary career with a life of his father published in 1848, and in 1850 he published Antonina, a novel written some years before. He became an intimate friend of Charles Dickens, and contributed to Household Words and All the Year Round. He collaborated with Charles Dickens in several books, but his best novels, remarkable for ingenious plot-weaving, were entirely his own. They include: After Dark (1856), The Dead Secret (1857), The Woman in White (1860), No Name (1862), Armadale (1866), The Moonstone (1868), Man and Wife (1870), The New Magdalen (1873), The Law and the Lady (1875), The Two Destinies (1876), Heart and Science (1883), The Evil Genius (1886), and The Legacy of Cain (1888), Some of these were dramatized by him. Research William Collins
William Congreve was an English playwright. He was born in 1670 at Leeds and died in 1729. He was educated at Kilkenny, and at Trinity College, Dublin, from which he entered the Middle Temple, London. A novel entitled the Incognita, under the pseudonym of Cleophil, was followed, at the age of twenty-one, by his comedy of the Old Bachelor, the success of which procured for him the patronage of LordHalifax, who made him a commissioner for licensing hackney-coaches; soon after gave him a place in the pipe office; and finally conferred on him a very lucrative place in the customs. He afterwards received an additional sinecure in the appointment of secretary to the island of Jamaica.
His next play, The Double Dealer, was less successful; his third comedy, Love for Love, and his tragedy, The Mourning Bride (1697), were both popular; but after the cold reception of his Way of the World, in 1700, he ceased altogether to write for the stage. He, however, continued to write occasional verses on public subjects; and in 1710 published a collection of his plays and poems, which he dedicated to his early patron, LordHalifax, to whose person and party he remained attached in all fortunes.
His plays belong to the artificial school of comedy, which aimed rather at the production of a sustained flow of wit than at the precise delineation of character.
Sir William Congreve was an English soldier and inventor. He was born in 1772 and died in 1828. He entered the army, from which he retired in 1816 with the rank of lieutenant-colonel of artillery and entered the House of Commons. He invented the Congreve rocket about 1804. It was first used in active service in the attack on Boulogne, 1806, and on Copenhagen, 1807. He took out patents also for the manufacture of gunpowder and of banknote paper, and wrote treatises on the mounting of naval ordnance and on the hydropneumatic lock. Research William Congreve
William Coombe or William Combe was an English author. He was born in 1741 and died in 1823. He was the author of several popular works, including the Diaboliad; the Devil upon Two Sticks in England, a continuation and imitation of Le Sage's novel, but far inferior in spirit and graphic delineation to the original; the Tour of Dr Syntax in Search of the Picturesque; the History of Johnny Quae Genus; English Dance of Death, etc, all accompanied by Rowlandson's prints, to which they owe most of their value. Research William Coombe
William Henry Corfield was an English hygienist and sanitarian. He was born in 1843 at Shrewsbury and died in 1903. He obtained the medical fellowship at Pembroke College in 1865 and the Radcliffe travelling fellowship in 1866 which enabled him to visit the chief medical schools of France and Italy. In 1869 he was appointed professor of hygiene and public health at University College, London. He wrote numerous works relating to hygiene and sanitary arrangements. Research William Corfield
William Cowper was an English surgeon. He was born in 1666 at Petersfield, Sussex and died in 1709. He published Myotomia Reformata in 1694, a treatise on the muscles, and The Anatomy of the Human Body in 1698.
William Cowper was an English poet. He was born in 1731 and died in 1800. He was the son of a clergyman; lost his mother at the age of six, and was, when ten years old when he moved from a country school to that of Westminster, which he left at eighteen with a fair reputation for classical learning, and a horror of the school discipline, which he afterwards expressed in his Tirocinium. He was then articled for three years to a solicitor, where he had for a fellow-clerk Mr, afterwards LordThurlow. At the expiration of his apprenticeship he took chambers in the Middle Temple, and in 1754 was called to the bar.
The interest of his family procured for him the post of clerk to the House of Lords; but having to appear for examination at the bar of the house, his nervousness was such that on the very day appointed for the examination he resigned the office, and soon after became insane. From December 1763 to June 1765 he remained under the care of Dr. Cotton at St Albans. The skill and humanity of that doctor restored him to health, and he retired to Huntingdon. Here he made the acquaintance of the Reverend Mr and Mrs Unwin, whose kindness, particularly that of the latter, seemed to have the most soothing and beneficial influence on him.
On the death of Mr. Unwin, in 1767, he removed with Mrs Unwin to Olney, the residence of the Reverand John Newton, who also became an intimate friend and exercised a powerful influence over his mind and conduct. John Newton had resolved on publishing a volume of hymns, and secured the co-operation of William Cowper in composing them, but before their publication in 1776 he had been again attacked by his constitutional malady, by which, for ten years from 1773, his mind, with occasional intervals of recovery, was continually clouded.
In 1776, by Mrs. Unwin's advice, he commenced a poem on the Progress of Error, which he followed by three other poems, Truth, Table-talk, and Expostulation; these with some others were published in a volume in 1782. Another female friend, Lady Austen, suggested the Task, which, together with Tirocinium, formed a second volume in 1785. The History of John Gilpin is also due to the suggestion of Lady Austen. The translation of Homer, begun in 1784, occupied him for the next six years, and was published in 1791. He removed during its progress, in 1786, from Olney to Weston. In the beginning of 1794 he was again attacked with madness, which was aggravated by the death of Mrs. Unwin in 1796. The revisal of his Homer, and the composition of some short pieces, occupied the latter years of his life. He is considered among the best of our descriptive poets, and is one of the most easy and elegant of letter-writers. Research William Cowper
William Croft was an English musical composer. He was born in 1677 and died in 1727. He was organist in the chapel royal, and published Musica Sacra, or Select Anthems, etc. Research William Croft
Sir William Crookes was an English physicist. He was born in 1832 and died in 1919. He studied chemistry at the Royal College of Chemistry, London, was for a short time connected with the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford, was professor of chemistry at Chester Training College, founded the Chemical News in 1859, and since then resided in London as its editor and proprietor. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1863, was DSc of Oxford and Dublin, was knighted in 1897, and next year was president of the British Association. He made important researches and inventions in connection with molecular physics, radiant matter, and high vacua, and was a great authority on sanitation, while he was also a believer in spiritualism. He discovered the element thallium in 1861, invented the crookes tube in 1874 and also made valuable discoveries about radium. Among his works are: Select Methods in Chemical Analysis, Handbook of Dyeing and Calico-printing, Dyeing and Tissue-printing, Researches in Modern Spiritualism, Psychic Force and Modern Spiritualism, etc. Research William Crookes
William Crotch was an English composer. He was born in 1775 at Norwich and died in 1847. As a child he showed astonishing precocity, and at the age of twenty-two was appointed professor of music at Oxford University with the degree of of Doctor of Music. In 1822 he became principal of the Royal Academy of Music. He left a large number of compositions, more especially for the organ, piano, and voice, and three technical treatises. He excelled in anthems and oratories. Research William Crotch
William Cullen was a Scottish physician and medical writer. He was born in 1710 at Hamilton, Lanarkshire and died in 1790. He studied medicine at Glasgow, London, and Edinburgh, practised at Hamilton, and in 1740 took the degree of MD at Glasgow, to which he removed in 1744, becoming in 1751 regius professor of medicine. In 1756 he entered on the chemical professorship in the University of Edinburgh, he also gave clinical lectures in the infirmary, and in 1760 was made lecturer on materia medica, and afterwards on the practice of medicine, conjointly with Dr. Gregory. In 1773 he became sole occupant of the chair of the practice of physic. His principal works are: A Treatise of Materia Medica; Synopsis Nosologise Methodicae; Clinical Lectures; and First Lines of the Practice of Physic. Research William Cullen
William B Cushing was an American soldier. He was born in 1842 and died in 1874. In 1861 he captured the first prize of the American Civil War, and in 1864 by extraordinary boldness destroyed the Confederate ironcladAlbemarle. He was promoted lieutenant-colonel and distinguished himself at FortFisher.
William Cushing was an American jurist. He was born in 1732 and died in 1810. He was Judge of the Massachusetts Superior Court in 1772, Chief Justice in 1777 and the first Chief Justice under the State Constitution in 1780, later he was Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court from 1789 until 1810. Research William Cushing
William Dampier was an English explorer, and pirate. He was born in 1652 and died in 1715. After the death of his father when he was young, Dampier was sent to sea where he distinguished himself as an able mariner. After serving in the Dutch War, he became a pirate off the coast of Peru before returning to England in 1691. In 1699 he was sent to explore the coast of Australia and New Guinea, in a royal sloop-of-war. In 1703 he sailed for the South Sea as a pirate once more, returning to England in 1707, and in 1708 sailed as pilot with Captain Woodes Rogers on his voyage around the world. Research William Dampier
William Daniel was an American prohibitionist. He was born in 1826 at Maryland. He was prominent in Maryland prohibition movements, a delegate to the State convention for the emancipation of slaves in 1864, and a candidate for Vice-President on the Prohibition ticket in 1884. Research William Daniel
Sir William Davenant was an English poet and dramatist. He was born in 1605 at Oxford and died in 1668. His father kept the Crown Inn, a public house at which William Shakespeare used to stop on his journeys between London and Stratford. He was introduced into court life early in life, through his service with the Duchess of Richmond and LordBrooke; and having produced several plays and court masques, he succeeded Ben Jonson in the laureateship in 1637.
During the English Civil War he fought on the royal side, was made a lieutenant-general, and received the honour of knighthood. On the decline of the royal cause he retired to France; but attempting to sail for Virginia his ship was captured, and he escaped death through the good offices of John Milton, a kindness he was able to repay after the Restoration.
William Davison was a British statesman. After being employed in several important diplomatic missions to Holland and Scotland, he became secretary of state to Queen Elizabeth I in 1586. He was made the scapegoat of the other ministers for his excess of zeal in despatching the warrant for the execution of Mary Queen of Scots in 1587. He was brought to trial, heavily fined and imprisoned, and died in 1608 without regaining favour. Research William Davison
Sir William Boyd Dawkins was a Welsh geologist and archaeologist. He was born in 1838 and died in 1929. Educated at Rossall and Jesus College, Oxford, he studied geology and was connected witli the Geological Survey; became lecturer on geology in the Owens College, Manchester, 1870, and in 1879 became professor of geology and palaeontology there. He travelled extensively and was geological adviser in connection with various engineering and mining enterprises, etc. His chief works were CaveHunting; Early Man in Britain and his Place in the Tertiary Period, a work throwing much light on prehistoric conditions in Britain; British PleistoceneMammalia. Research William Dawkins
William Ralph Dean was an English Association Football player. He was born in 1906. He played as a centre forward for Tranmere, Everton and England making 16 appearances for England between 1927 and 1932, scoring 17 goals. In the 1927-1928 season he set a record for goal scoring, scoring 60 goals for Everton in 39 First Division matches. Research William Dean
William Dennison was an American politician. He born in 1815 and died in 1882. He was a Republican governor of Ohio from 1860 until 1862. Known as the 'War Governor' of Ohio, he was an ardent Republican and anti-slavery man. With great energy and ability he prepared the State for the American Civil War and organized and supplied its forces. He was chairman of the Republican National Nominating Convention in 1864, and from that year until 1866 was Postmaster-General, in the cabinets of Abraham Lincoln and Johnson. Research William Dennison
William Derham was an English philosopher and divine. He was born in 1657 and died in 1735. He was long rector of Upminster in Essex. His best-known works are entitled Physico-Theology, Astro-Theology, and Christo-Theology. Research William Derham
William Hepworth Dixon was an English writer. He was born in 1821 at Manchester and died in 1879. In 1849 he published a memoir of Howard the philanthropist, which was followed by the Life of WilliamPenn (1851), and by a work on Admiral Blake (1852). In 1853, after having been a contributor, he became chief editor of the Athenaeum, a post which he retained until 1869. During this period he published several very popular works, including the Personal History of LordBacon, The Holy Land, and New America, the last being followed by Spiritual Wives. After his retirement from the Athenaeum, and in the last ten years of his life, he gave to the world somewhere about twenty-five volumes of history, travel, and fiction, among others, Free Russia; Her Majesty's Tower; The Switzers; History of Two Queens, Catharine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn; Diana Lady Lyie, and Ruby Grey (both novels); and his last work, Royal Windsor. Research William Dixon
Sir William Fettes Douglas was a Scottish painter. He was born in 1822 at Edinburgh and died in 1891. He was educated at Edinburgh High School and spent ten years in a bank before finally deciding in 1847 upon becoming an artist. In 1851 he was elected an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy, and three years later a full member. In 1877 he became Curator of the National Gallery of Scotland, resigning the post in 1882 on his election as president of the Royal Scottish Academy. Among the finest of his early pictures are The Ruby Ring (1853); The Alchemist (1855); Hudibras and Ralph visiting the Astrologer (1856); and the Rosicrucians (1856), many of these showing much of the Pre-Raphaelite spirit, with abundance of detail. After 1870 he devoted himself rather to landscape, and his Stonehaven Harbour and A Fishing Village (1874-1875) are perhaps his masterpieces. He was knighted in 1882. Research William Douglas
William H Drayton was an American-born politician. He was born in 1742 at South Carolina and died in 1779. He went to England, and in 1771 was appointed a privy councillor of South Carolina. He was deprived of his crown offices on account of sympathy with the colonies, and was made president of the Provincial Congress in 1775. In 1776 he became Cliief Justice of South Carolina and in 1777 president, and in 1778 was a member of the Continental Congress. Research William Drayton
William Drummond was a Scottish poet distinguished for the elegance and tenderness of his verses. He was born in 1585 at Hawthornden House, 7 miles from Edinburgh and died in 1649. He was educated at the University of Edinburgh; after which he spent four years in foreign travels, residing for a part of the time at Bourges, to study the civil law. On his return to Scotland be retired to Hawthornden and gave himself up to the cultivation of poetry and polite literature, and here he spent the most of his life.
He entertained Ben Jonson for three weeks on the occasion of a visit which the English dramatist made to Scotland in the winter of 1618-19, and took notes of Ben Jonson's conversation, which were first published in 1711. He was the first Scottish writer to abandon the native dialect for the language raised to supremacy by the Elizabethan writers. His chief productions are: The CypressGrove, in prose, containing reflections upon death; Flowers of Zion, or Spiritual Poems; Tears on the Death of Moeliades (that is, Prince Henry); Poems, Amorous, Funeral, Divine, Pastoral, in Sonnets, Songs, Sextains, Madrigals; The River Forth Feasting (on King James' Visit to Scotland in 1617); Polemo-Middinia, or the Battle of the Dunghill: a macaronic Poem; and History of the Lives and Beigns of the Five Jameses, Kings of Scotland. As a historian he is chiefly remarkable for an ornate style, and a strong attachment to the High Church principles of the Jacobites.
William Duane was an American journalist. He was born in 1760 at New York and died in 1835. He was abroad from 1771 to 1795, when he returned to Philadelphia, and until 1822 edited the 'Aurora' the leading Democratic paper. He served as adjutant-general from 1813 to 1815, and was an important figure in anti-Jeffersonian Democratic politics in Pennsylvania. Research William Duane
William Duell was executed for murder at Tyburn in 1740, but whilst undergoing dissection at Surgeons' Hall he came back to life. Research William Duell
William Duer was an American politican. He was born in 1747 in England and died in 1799). He arrived in New York from England in 1768. He was a member of the committee that drafted the first Constitution of New York in 1777, was a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1777 and 1778, and Secretary of the Treasury Board in 1789. Research William Duer
Sir William Dugdale was an English antiquary and Garter King-of-Arms. He was born in 1605 and died in 1686. He was a Royalist, and was made Chesterherald in 1644 and accompanied Charles I to Oxford during the Civil War. At the Restoration he was appointed King-of-Arms and knighted. With Roger Dodsworth he produced an important work on English monasteries titled Monasticon Anglicanum. Among his other works are Antiquities of Warwickshire ; the Baronage or Peerage of England; Origines Judiciales, or Historical Memoirs of the English Law, Courts of Justice, etc; a History of St. Paul's Cathedral; and various minor writings. He also completed and published the second volume of Spelman's Concilia. Research William Dugdale
William Dunbar was a Scottish poet. He was born about 1460 to 1465 probably in East Lothianamd died in about 1520. In 1475 he went to St Andrews, where, in 1477, he took the degree of BA, and two years later that of MA. After this he seems to have become a begging friar of the Franciscan order, and made journeys in England and France, but he returned to Scotland about 1490, and attached himself to the court of James IV, from whom he received a pension of 10 pounds.
On the marriage of James IV to Margaret of England William Dunbar celebrated the event in a poem of great beauty, entitled, The Thrissil and the Rois. His pension was ultimately raised to 80 pounds a year, and he was the recipient of various additional gratuities, though he appears frequently to have addressed both the king and the queen for a benefice, but always without success. After FIodden his name disappears from the royal accounts, and he probably died about 1520. His works, which consist of elaborate allegories, satirical and grimly humorous pieces, and poems full of brilliant description and luxuriant imagination, were first collected by David Laing and published in Edinburgh in 1834. Research William Dunbar
William Dyce was a Scottish painter and etcher. He was born in 1806 at Aberdeen and died in 1864. He studied in London and Rome, practised his art in Edinburgh, in 1840 became director of the school of design in London, and in 1844 was appointed professor of fine arts in King's College, London. He was elected a Royal Academician in 1848. He worked chiefly at portraiture in Edinburgh. He produced frescoes for the walls of the House of Lords and the Queen's robing- room at Westminster. Research William Dyce
William Eaton was an American statesman. He was born in 1764 at Connecticut and died in 1811. He served in the American War of Independence from 1780 until 1783 and was Clerk of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1791 until 1797. He was Consul at Tunis, where he conducted important negotiations from 1799 until 1803, and was US Naval Agent to the Barbary States from 1804 until 1805. In 1805 he conducted the Derne expedition. Research William Eaton
William Eden (LordAuckland) was an English statesman. He was born in 1744 and died in 1814. Educated at Eton and Oxford, he was called to the bar in 1768, became under-secretary of state in 1772, and in 1776 lord of trade. In 1778 he was nominated in conjunction with LordHowe and others to act as a mediator between Britain and the insurgent American colonies. He was afterwards secretary of state for Ireland, ambassador extraordinary to France, ambassador extraordinary to the Netherlands, etc. He was raised to the peerage in 1788. Research William Eden
William Ellery was an American statesman. He was born in 1727 at Rhode Island and died in 1820. He was chosen a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1776, and served on the board of admiralty, and the treasury and marine committees. He was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and continued, except in 1780 and 1782, a member of the Congress until 1786. Research William Ellery
William Ellis was an English missionary. He was born in 1794 and died in 1872. He was sent out to the South Sea Islands in 1816 by the London Missionary Society, and returned in 1825, one result of his labours being Polynesian Researches (1829). In 1830-44 he was secretary to the society, and afterwards on its behalf made several visits to Madagascar, the longest being in 1861-65. These visits led him to publish Three Visits to Madagascar (1858), Madagascar Revisited (1867), and the Martyr Church of Madagascar (1870). Research William Ellis
William Elphinstone was a Scottish prelate and statesman. He was born in 1435 at Glasgow and died in 1514. He was educated at Glasgow College, and served four years as priest of St Michael's in that city. He then went to France and became professor of law, first at Paris and subsequently at Orleans, but about 1471-74 he returned home at the request of Muirhead, bishop of Glasgow, who made him commissary of the diocese. In 1478 he was made commissary of the Lothians, and in 1479 Archdeacon of Argyle. Soon after he was made Bishop of Eoss; and in 1483 was transferred to the see of Aberdeen. In 1484 and 1486 he was commissioned to negotiate truces with England, and in 1488 was lord high-chancellor of the kingdom for several months. He was next sent on a mission to Germany, and after his return held the office of lord privy-seal until his death in 1514. In 1494 he obtained a papal bull for the erection of the university of King's College at Aberdeen. Research William Elphinstone
William Etty was an English painter. He was born in 1787 at York and died in 1849. He studied at the Royal Academy. He worked for a long time without much recognition, but at length in 1820 he won public notice by his Coral Finders. In 1828 he was elected an academician. Among his works, which were greatly admired, are a series of three pictures produced between 1827 and 1831 illustrating the .Deliverance of Bethulia by Judith, Benaiah one of David's mighty men, Woman interceding for the Vanquished. All these are very large pictures, and are now in the National Gallery of Scotland. Others of note are The Judgment of Paris, The Rape of Proserpine, Youth at the Prow and Pleasure at the Helm. In colouring and the representation of the nude or partially nude figure, particularly females, he displays high ability. Research William Etty
William Eustis was an American politician. He was born in 1753 and died in 1835. He represented Massachusetts in Congress from 1801 to 1805, and from 1820 to 1823. From 1809 to 1813 he was Secretary of War in Madison's Cabinet. From 1814 to 1818 he was Minister to Holland, and was a Democratic-Republican governor of Massachusetts from 1823 until 1825. Research William Eustis
William Ewart was an English Liberal politician. He was born in 1798 at Liverpool and died in 1869. He was elected Liberal MP for Bletchingley in 1828; and was returned for Liverpool in 1830, for Wigan in 1839 and in 1841 for Dumfries Burghs, which he represented until his retirement in 1868. He succeeded in abolishing hanging in chains and in 1850 carried a bill for establishing free libraries. Research William Ewart
Abbreviations
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Research William A Buckingham
