Kuno Francke
Encyclopedia
Kuno Francke was a U.S. (German
-born) educator and historian. Most of his career was spent at Harvard University
where he eventually became a professor of history and German culture and curator of the Germanic Museum.
, Schleswig-Holstein
, Germany
, in 1855, where he received his early education at the Kiel gymnasium
. He earned a Ph.D.
in medieval folklore
and poetry
in Munich
in 1878. He was a close associate of art historian Ephraim Emerton
, and through him met Harvard University
president Charles William Eliot
. In 1884 he became an instructor at Harvard, in 1887 assistant professor of German
, in 1892 assistant professor of German literature
, and earned a full professorship of history and German culture in 1896. In 1902, he became curator of the Busch-Reisinger Museum
(Germanic Museum) of Harvard University
. He remained curator at Harvard until 1929, when he retired, and died the next year in Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
He received the degrees of LL.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1904, and Litt.D. from Harvard University in 1912. From the German imperial government
, he received the title of Chevalier Royal Prussian Order Red Eagle and Order of the Crown. A professorship in "German Art and Literature" at Harvard is named after Francke.
Works published in the United States:
He also edited Munsey
's collections of German classics.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born) educator and historian. Most of his career was spent at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
where he eventually became a professor of history and German culture and curator of the Germanic Museum.
Biography
Francke was born in KielKiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, in 1855, where he received his early education at the Kiel gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
. He earned a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in medieval folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
and poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
in 1878. He was a close associate of art historian Ephraim Emerton
Ephraim Emerton
Ephraim Emerton, Ph. D. was an American educator, author, translator, and historian prominent in his field of European medieval history.-Life and career:...
, and through him met Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
president Charles William Eliot
Charles William Eliot
Charles William Eliot was an American academic who was selected as Harvard's president in 1869. He transformed the provincial college into the preeminent American research university...
. In 1884 he became an instructor at Harvard, in 1887 assistant professor of German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, in 1892 assistant professor of German literature
German literature
German literature comprises those literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German part of Switzerland, and to a lesser extent works of the German diaspora. German literature of the modern period is mostly in Standard German, but there...
, and earned a full professorship of history and German culture in 1896. In 1902, he became curator of the Busch-Reisinger Museum
Busch-Reisinger Museum
The Busch-Reisinger Museum, opened to the public in 1903, is one of two museums in North America dedicated to the study of art from the German-speaking countries of Europe. The other museum is the Neue Galerie, located in New York City. The Busch-Reisinger joins the Fogg Museum and the Arthur M...
(Germanic Museum) of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He remained curator at Harvard until 1929, when he retired, and died the next year in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
He received the degrees of LL.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1904, and Litt.D. from Harvard University in 1912. From the German imperial government
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, he received the title of Chevalier Royal Prussian Order Red Eagle and Order of the Crown. A professorship in "German Art and Literature" at Harvard is named after Francke.
Works
Early works, published in Germany:- Zur Geschichte der Schulpoesie des 12 Jahrhunderts (1878)
- De Hymno in Cererem Homerico (1880)
- Libelli de Lite Imperatorum et Pontificum (1892)
Works published in the United States:
- Social Forces in German Literature (1896)
- Glimpses of Modern German Culture (1898)
- History of German Literature (1901)
- Handbook of the Germanic Museum (1906)
- German Ideals of To-day (1907)
- The Americans (1909), an ethnological study of the American people
- Die Kulturwerte der deutschen Literatur des Mittelalters (1910)
- A German-American's Confession of Faith (1915), about World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
- Personality in German Literature before Luther (1916)
- The German Spirit (1916)
He also edited Munsey
Frank Munsey
Frank Andrew Munsey was an American newspaper and magazine publisher and author. He was born in Mercer, Maine but spent most of his life in New York City...
's collections of German classics.