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Bentham, George

(Encyclopedia)Bentham, George bĕnˈthəm [key], 1800–1884, one of the greatest of English systematic botanists; nephew of Jeremy Bentham. He wrote Handbook of British Flora (1858) and, with W. J. Hooker, Genera ...

Wishart, George

(Encyclopedia)Wishart, George wĭshˈərt [key], 1513?–1546, Scottish religious reformer, Protestant martyr. He was master of a grammar school in Montrose. In 1538 he fled Scotland to escape charges of heresy; he...

Walton, George

(Encyclopedia)Walton, George, 1741?–1804, American Revolutionary patriot, signer of the Declaration of Independence, b. near Farmville, Va. He moved to Savannah, Ga., where he established a law practice. Walton w...

Weah, George

(Encyclopedia)Weah, George (George Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah), 1966–, Liberian soccer player and political leader. An outstanding striker, Weah was soccer's African, European, and World player of the year in 1995...

Wythe, George

(Encyclopedia)Wythe, George wĭth [key], 1726–1806, American lawyer, signer of the Declaration of Independence, b. Elizabeth City co., Va. Admitted to the bar in 1746, Wythe was a member (1754–55, 1758–68) an...

Wither, George

(Encyclopedia)Wither, George, 1588–1667, English poet, b. Hampshire, studied at Oxford. While in prison for having written the satires Abuses Stript and Whipt (1613), he wrote five pastorals under the title The S...

Westinghouse, George

(Encyclopedia)Westinghouse, George, 1846–1914, American inventor and manufacturer, b. Central Bridge, N.Y. In the Civil War he served in the Union army and navy. Among his inventions in the railroad field were a ...

Whetstone, George

(Encyclopedia)Whetstone, George, 1551?–1587, English dramatist and poet. His chief work, the play Promos and Cassandra (1578), is important in the development of English domestic drama and was a source for Shakes...

Whitefield, George

(Encyclopedia)Whitefield, George, 1714–70, English evangelistic preacher, leader of the Calvinistic Methodist Church. At Oxford, which he entered in 1732, he joined the Methodist group led by John Wesley and Char...

Wald, George

(Encyclopedia)Wald, George, 1906–97, American biochemist, b. New York City, Ph.D. Columbia, 1932. He spent most of his career on the faculty at Harvard. In 1967 Wald, Haldan K. Hartline, and Ragnar Granit receive...