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Walker, Robert John

(Encyclopedia)Walker, Robert John, 1801–69, American public official, b. Northumberland, Pa. A lawyer, he practiced for a time in Pittsburgh. In 1826 he moved to Natchez, Miss. As a Democratic Senator (1836–45)...

Byrd, Robert Carlyle

(Encyclopedia)Byrd, Robert Carlyle, 1917–2010, U.S. senator from West Virginia (1959–2010), b. North Wilkesboro, N.C., as Cornelius Calvin Sale, Jr. A Democrat, he served (1947–52) in the West Virginia legisl...

Bolton, John Robert

(Encyclopedia)Bolton, John Robert, 1948–, U.S. government official, b. Baltimore, grad Yale (B.A., 1970; J.D., 1974). A conservative Republican who has supported hardline, unilateral approaches to international r...

Bork, Robert Heron

(Encyclopedia)Bork, Robert Heron, 1927–2012, American jurist, b. Pittsburgh. He received his law degree from the Univ. of Chicago in 1953, and was professor of law at Yale (1962–73, 1977–81). While serving as...

Brustein, Robert Sanford

(Encyclopedia)Brustein, Robert Sanford, 1927–, American educator and drama critic, b. New York City. As dean of the Yale Univ. Drama School (1966–78), he made it one of the major American training grounds for t...

Bunsen, Robert Wilhelm

(Encyclopedia)Bunsen, Robert Wilhelm bŭnˈsən, Ger. rōˈbĕrt vĭlˈhĕlm bo͝onˈzən [key], 1811–99, German scientist, educated at the Univ. of Göttingen, where he received his doctorate in 1830. He served ...

Bridges, Robert Seymour

(Encyclopedia)Bridges, Robert Seymour, 1844–1930, English poet. In 1882 he abandoned medical practice to devote himself to writing. An excellent metrist, he wrote many beautiful lyrics and longer poems, noted for...

Brookings, Robert Somers

(Encyclopedia)Brookings, Robert Somers, 1850–1932, American businessman and philanthropist, b. Cecil co., Md. He earned a fortune in business in St. Louis, Mo., and retired in 1897 to devote himself to philanthro...

Betzig, Robert Eric

(Encyclopedia)Betzig, Robert Eric, 1960–, American physicist, b. Ann Arbor, Mich., Ph.D. Cornell, 1988. Betzig worked at AT&T Bell Laboratories from 1988 to 1996, when he become vice president of research and...

Bird, Robert Montgomery

(Encyclopedia)Bird, Robert Montgomery, 1806–54, American playwright and novelist, b. New Castle, Del., M.D. Univ. of Pennsylvania, 1827. He wrote several prizewinning verse plays for the actor Edwin Forrest, nota...