William Roscoe Thayer
Encyclopedia
William Roscoe Thayer was an American
author and editor. He was best known for his works on Italian
history.
, traveled with a private tutor in Europe
, and graduated from Harvard
in 1881, in the class with Theodore Roosevelt
. For several years, he was assistant editor of the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. He then returned to Harvard, receiving the degree of A.M. in 1886.
He was editor of the Harvard Graduates' Magazine from its foundation in 1892 until 1915. In 1903, at the International Historical Congress at Rome, he represented both Harvard University and the American Historical Association
, and in 1906 was their representative at the Italian Historical Congress in Milan
. In 1902, he was made Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy, and in 1917 Knight of the Order of Saints Maurizio and Lazaro. In 1914, he was elected to The American Academy of Arts and Letters
and he received honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale
, Brown
and other universities. Thayer served as a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers from 1913 until 1919. He was president of the American Historical Association
1918-1919.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and editor. He was best known for his works on Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
history.
Biography
Thayer was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 16, 1859. He studied at St. Mark's Academy, Concord, New HampshireConcord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, traveled with a private tutor in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and graduated from Harvard
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...
in 1881, in the class with Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
. For several years, he was assistant editor of the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. He then returned to Harvard, receiving the degree of A.M. in 1886.
He was editor of the Harvard Graduates' Magazine from its foundation in 1892 until 1915. In 1903, at the International Historical Congress at Rome, he represented both Harvard University and the American Historical Association
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...
, and in 1906 was their representative at the Italian Historical Congress in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. In 1902, he was made Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy, and in 1917 Knight of the Order of Saints Maurizio and Lazaro. In 1914, he was elected to The American Academy of Arts and Letters
The American Academy of Arts and Letters
The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 250-member honor society; its goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Located in Washington Heights, a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan in New York, it shares Audubon Terrace, its Beaux Arts campus on...
and he received honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, Brown
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
and other universities. Thayer served as a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers from 1913 until 1919. He was president of the American Historical Association
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...
1918-1919.
Verse
- The Confessiones of Hermes (1884)
- Hesper, an American Drama (1888)
- Poems, New and Old (1894)
Prose
- The Influence of Emerson (1886)
- An Historical Sketch of Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard 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...
, From its Foundation to May, 1890 (1890) - The Dawn of Italian Independence (1893)
- The Best Elizabethan Plays (1895)
- History and Customs of Harvard University (1898)
- Throne-Makers (1899)
- A Short History of VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
(1905) - Longfellow: Our National Poet (1907)
- Life and Times of Cavour (two volumes, 1911)
- Life and Letters of John HayJohn HayJohn Milton Hay was an American statesman, diplomat, author, journalist, and private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln.-Early life:...
(1915) - GermanyGermanyGermany , 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...
vs. CivilizationCivilizationCivilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
(1916) - The Letters of John Holmes to James Russell Lowell and Others (1917)
- The Collapse of Superman (1918)
- Democracy: Discipline: Peace (1919)
- Theodore Roosevelt: An Intimate Biography (1919 Grosset & Dunlap)
- George WashingtonGeorge WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
(1922)