Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Peabody, George

(Encyclopedia)Peabody, George pēˈbädē, –bədē [key], 1795–1869, American financier and philanthropist, b. South Danvers (now Peabody), Mass. At the age of 11 he was apprenticed to a grocer, and later (1814...

Percy, George

(Encyclopedia)Percy, George, 1580–1631?, English colonial official in Virginia. He sailed to Virginia with the expedition of 1606–7 and was deputy governor (1609–10) after John Smith's return to England and, ...

Romney, George

(Encyclopedia)Romney, George rŏmˈnē [key], 1734–1802, English portrait painter, b. Lancashire. Having had little early training, Romney went to London in 1762, where he rapidly became a popular and fashionable...

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 ...

Will, George

(Encyclopedia)Will, George (George Frederick Will), 1941–, American political columnist, b. Champaign, Illinois. He attended Trinity College (B.A., 1962), Oxford (1962–64), and Princeton (PhD., 1964). In 1973, ...

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...

Washington, George

(Encyclopedia)Washington, George, 1732–99, 1st President of the United States (1789–97), commander in chief of the Continental army in the American Revolution, called the Father of His Country. The Univ. of V...

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...