Wisconsin Biographical Dictionary contains biographies on hundreds of persons from diverse vocations that were either born, achieved notoriety and/or died in the state of Wisconsin. Prominent persons, in addition to the less eminent, that have played noteworthy roles are included in this resource. When people are recognized from your state or locale it brings a sense of pride to the residents of the entire state.
Iowa has been blessed with citizens of strong character who have made invaluable contributions to the state and to the nation. In the 1930s alone, such towering figures as John L. Lewis, Henry A. Wallace, and Herbert Hoover hugely influenced the nation’s affairs. Iowa’s Native Americans, early explorers, inventors, farmers, scholars, baseball players, musicians, artists, writers, politicians, scientists, conservationists, preachers, educators, and activists continue to enrich our lives and inspire our imaginations. Written by an impressive team of more than 150 scholars and writers, the readable narratives include each subject’s name, birth and death dates, place of birth, education, and career and contributions. Many of the names will be instantly recognizable to most Iowans; others are largely forgotten but deserve to be remembered. Beyond the distinctive lives and times captured in the individual biographies, readers of the dictionary will gain an appreciation for how the character of the state has been shaped by the character of the individuals who have inhabited it. From Dudley Warren Adams, fruit grower and Grange leader, to the Younker brothers, founders of one of Iowa’s most successful department stores, The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa is peopled with the rewarding lives of more than four hundred notable citizens of the Hawkeye State. The histories contained in this essential reference work should be eagerly read by anyone who cares about Iowa and its citizens. Entries include Cap Anson, Bix Beiderbecke, Black Hawk, Amelia Jenks Bloomer, William Carpenter, Philip Greeley Clapp, Gardner Cowles Sr., Samuel Ryan Curtis, Jay Norwood Darling, Grenville Dodge, Julien Dubuque, August S. Duesenberg, Paul Engle, Phyllis L. Propp Fowle, George Gallup, Hamlin Garland, Susan Glaspell, Josiah Grinnell, Charles Hearst, Josephine Herbst, Herbert Hoover, Inkpaduta, Louis Jolliet, MacKinlay Kantor, Keokuk, Aldo Leopold, John L. Lewis, Marquette, Elmer Maytag, Christian Metz, Bertha Shambaugh, Ruth Suckow, Billy Sunday, Henry Wallace, and Grant Wood. Excerpt from the entry on: Gallup, George Horace (November 19, 1901–July 26, 1984)—founder of the American Institute of Public Opinion, better known as the Gallup Poll, whose name was synonymous with public opinion polling around the world—was born in Jefferson, Iowa. . . . . A New Yorker article would later speculate that it was Gallup’s background in “utterly normal Iowa” that enabled him to find “nothing odd in the idea that one man might represent, statistically, ten thousand or more of his own kind.” . . . In 1935 Gallup partnered with Harry Anderson to found the American Institute of Public Opinion, based in Princeton, New Jersey, an opinion polling firm that included a syndicated newspaper column called “America Speaks.” The reputation of the organization was made when Gallup publicly challenged the polling techniques of The Literary Digest, the best-known political straw poll of the day. Calculating that the Digest would wrongly predict that Kansas Republican Alf Landon would win the presidential election, Gallup offered newspapers a money-back guarantee if his prediction that Franklin Delano Roosevelt would win wasn’t more accurate. Gallup believed that public opinion polls served an important function in a democracy: “If govern¬ment is supposed to be based on the will of the people, somebody ought to go and find what that will is,” Gallup explained.
Casting a wide net, this volume provides personal and professional information on some 445 American and Canadian naturalists and environmentalists, who lived from the late 15th century to the late 20th century. It includes explorers who published works on the natural history of North America, conservationists, ecologists, environmentalists, wildlife management specialists, park planners, national park administrators, zoologists, botanists, natural historians, geographers, geologists, academics, museum scientists and administrators, military personnel, travellers, government officials, political figures and writers and artists concerned with the environment. Some of the subjects are well known. The accomplishments of others are little known. Each entry contains a succinct but careful evaluation of the subject's career and contributions. Entries also include up-to-date bibliographies and information concerning manuscript sources.
Widely praised, Greenwood's Biographical Dictionary of American Educators (Greenwood, 1978) quickly became a standard reference work for students and scholars of American education. This new volume includes biographical sketches of more than 400 notable researchers, leaders, reformers, critics, and practitioners from all major fields of education and extends the coverage of its predecessor to the mid-20th century. Its topical range encompasses such diverse areas as psychology, music, health, measurement and evaluation, science, special education, history, and administration. It treats education at all levels, including early childhood, elementary and secondary, higher, and adult. Most of the educators profiled were active in the 20th century, but several dozen have been included from the 19th century. A special effort has been made to include women and educators of color whose contributions have often been overlooked in the past. Each biographical sketch includes information on family background, a description of the educator's accomplishments, and a digest of the person's education and career, professional and civic service, major publications, and principal honors. Each profile ends with a list of references, and the volume closes with appendices listing birth places, states of major service, fields of work, a chronological listing of educators, and a list of important dates in American education. A comprehensive index concludes the volume. Educators are included from all fifty states and were selected from numerous suggested candidates for inclusion. Most of the educators profiled were active in the 20th century, but several dozen have been included from the 19th century. A special effort has been made to include women and educators of color whose contributions have often been overlooked in the past.
Many regard the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) as the most important era for classical Chinese poetry, with around fifty thousand poems from the period surviving to the modern era. The great poets--Li Bo, Wang Wei, Du Fu, Bo--all lived in the Tang Dynasty. Meticulously researched and featuring many examples of their writings, the Biographical Dictionary of Tang Dynasty Literati presents 139 biographies of classical Chinese poets. Compiled by award-winner author William H. Nienhauser, Jr., and Michael E. Naparstek, this book is the first comprehensive dictionary of writers during the Tang dynasty. In addition to individual entries, it includes an overview of Tang literature, a literary timeline of the Tang, and an explanation of official titles and ranks, making it an indispensable resource for anyone interested in classical Chinese poetry.
Excerpt from The United States Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Eminent and Self-Made Men: Wisconsin Volume The belief that the work is needed is founded on the fact that the world worships success, and is glad to learn. How it has been brought about. The truth of this is shown in the fact that if a man be poor, though he have the learning of a Blackstone, ' the genius of a Watt, or the patient persever ance of a Goodyear, yet, until he has achieved success, mankind has no interest in his history. His aspirations, his anxieties and his heart struggles, may have an interest for beings of higher intelligence, but for the mass of mankind these have no charms. But if by some cunning device, by' some daring enterprise, or after long struggles and perseverance, he acquire a fortune, then the reluctant world is lavish in its admiration, his history is full of interest, and every one is anxious to know how he achieved success. To gratify this universal longing, it is proposed to give the history of the lives of six hundred successful men of Wisconsin. The Publishers found the second business principle on the fact that they are determined to spare neither labor nor expense in giving to the world the most authentic information how these men have won fortune, how the world has been benefited by their labors, and what has been the turning-point of their success. These examples are of great interest, may spread good seed, encourage the weary, give new life to the desponding, and energy to the aspiring. In the hearts of the young there are ever hopes and yearnings; and although seldom expressed, and often not even acknowledged to them selves, they want only the inspiration of example to point the way, to accomplish the full fruition of their hopes. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
