(Encyclopedia) Vanderlyn, JohnVanderlyn, Johnvănˈdərlĭn [key], 1776–1852, American portrait and historical painter, b. Kingston, N.Y. Under the patronage of Aaron Burr he studied with Gilbert Stuart…
(Encyclopedia) Varley, John, 1778–1842, English painter in watercolor; one of the founders of the Old Water Colour Society. He is best known for his paintings of Welsh mountain country. He was also…
(Encyclopedia) Benbow, JohnBenbow, Johnbĕnˈbō [key], 1653–1702, English admiral. Some of the stories of his exploits seem to be legendary, but he did command the fleet and successfully fight the…
(Encyclopedia) Wain, John, 1925–94, English novelist and critic, b. Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, grad. Oxford (B.A., 1946; M.A., 1950). Originally lumped with England's angry young men after the…
(Encyclopedia) Wallis, JohnWallis, Johnwŏlˈĭs [key], 1616–1703, English mathematician. He was Savilian professor of geometry at Oxford from 1649. He systematized the use of formulas, introduced the…
(Encyclopedia) Wanamaker, JohnWanamaker, Johnwŏnˈəmāˌkər [key], 1838–1922, American merchant, b. Philadelphia. He went into the men's clothing business in Philadelphia with Nathan Brown, his brother-…
(Encyclopedia) Warren, John, 1753–1815, American surgeon, b. Roxbury, Mass.; grad. Harvard, 1771; brother of Joseph Warren. A leading surgeon of his time in New England, he served in the Revolution…
(Encyclopedia) Updike, John, 1932–2009, American author, one of the nation's most distinguished 20th-century men of letters, b. Shillington, Pa., grad. Harvard, 1954. In his many novels and stories,…