Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Beame, Abraham David

(Encyclopedia)Beame, Abraham David, 1906–2001, American politician, mayor of New York City (1974–77), b. London. Beame, who grew up on New York's Lower East Side, was city budget director (1952–61). A Democra...

Stern, David Joel

(Encyclopedia)Stern, David Joel, 1942–2020, American basketball executive, b. New York City. A lawyer, he worked (1966–78) as outside counsel to the National Basketball Association (NBA) before he became NBA ge...

Birkhoff, George David

(Encyclopedia)Birkhoff, George David, 1884–1944, American mathematician, b. Overisel, Mich.; father of Garrett Birkhoff. The son of a physician, he was educated at Harvard (B.A., 1905) and the Univ. of Chicago (P...

Bispham, David Scull

(Encyclopedia)Bispham, David Scull bĭsˈpəm [key], 1857–1921, American baritone, b. Philadelphia. He made his operatic debut in London in 1891 and was leading Wagnerian baritone of the Metropolitan Opera Compan...

Burnet, David Gouverneur

(Encyclopedia)Burnet, David Gouverneur gŭvˌəno͝orˈ bûrˈnĭt [key], 1788–1870, provisional president of Texas (1836), b. Newark, N.J.; son of William Burnet (1730–91). He went to Texas c.1817, and his leg...

Cecil, Lord David

(Encyclopedia)Cecil, Lord David sĭsˈəl, sĕs– [key] (Lord Edward Christian David Gascoyne Cecil), 1902–86, English biographer. He was professor of English literature at Oxford (1948–70). Cecil's works are ...

Brewster, Sir David

(Encyclopedia)Brewster, Sir David, 1781–1868, Scottish physicist and natural philosopher. He is noted especially for his research into the polarization of light (the invention of the kaleidoscope was one result o...

Brinkley, David McClure

(Encyclopedia)Brinkley, David McClure, 1920–2003, American news broadcaster, b. Wilmington, N.C. He began (1942) his lengthy journalistic career as a reporter for United Press, soon (1943) joining the National Br...

Broder, David Salzer

(Encyclopedia)Broder, David Salzer, 1929n–2011, American journalist, b. Chicago Heights, Ill., grad. Univ. of Chicago (1947). Noted for measured and incisive political analysis, Broder worked for several newpaper...

Broderick, David Colbreth

(Encyclopedia)Broderick, David Colbreth brōˈdərĭk [key], 1820–59, American politician, b. Washington, D.C. Brought up in New York City, he was active in Tammany Hall before moving to California in 1849. He be...