Elmore Harris Harbison (1907–1964) was an American historian and scholar on the topic of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

and history. He was the

Henry Charles Lea Henry Charles Lea (September 19, 1825 – October 24, 1909) was an American publisher, civic activist, philanthropist and historian from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He took over the family publishing business from his father, Isaac Lea, and impl ...

Professor of History at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

and a trustee of the

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of ...

Personal life

E. Harris Harbison was born to Ralph Warner Harbison and Helen Mary Harris (the daughter of

Elmore Harris Elmore Harris (b. February 23, 1855 Beamsville, Ontario – d. December 19, 1911 Delhi, India) was the founder of the Walmer Road Baptist Church and one of the founders of Toronto Bible Training School in 1894 which soon changed its name to Toron ...

of Toronto, Ontario) in 1907 in

Sewickley, Pennsylvania Sewickley is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, west northwest of Pittsburgh along the Ohio River. It is a residential suburb of Pittsburgh. The population was 3,827 according to the United States Census 2010, 20 ...

. He married Janet German in 1937 and had a son, John Harris Harbison, a distinguished composer, and two daughters, Helen and Margaret. Helen was once engaged to Iranian-American scholar

Ervand Abrahamian Ervand Abrahamian; hy, Երուանդ Աբրահամեան (born 1940) is an Iranian-American historian of the Middle East. He is Distinguished Professor of History at Baruch College and the Graduate Center, CUNY, Graduate Center of the City Un ...

Academic Study

Harbison received his bachelor's in history from Princeton University in 1928 and was the valedictorian of his class. He continued on to

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and in 1938 earned his doctorate for his dissertation ''Rival Ambassadors in the Court of Queen Mary''. The dissertation later won an

Adams Prize The Adams Prize is one of the most prestigious prizes awarded by the University of Cambridge. It is awarded each year by the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge and St John's College to a UK-based mathematician for distinguis ...

from the

American Historical Association The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...

. He joined Princeton as a faculty member in 1933 and became a trustee of the Princeton Theological Seminary in 1951. He served on several committees and boards dedicated to religious scholarly study A national teaching award is named in his honor.

Publications

Books

* ''Rival Ambassadors at the Court of Queen Mary'' (1940) * ''The Age of Reformation'' (1955) * ''The Christian Scholar in the Age of Reformation'' (1956) * ''Christianity and History'' (1964)

Articles

* "The Meaning of History and the Writing of History." ''Church History''. 2.21 (1952): 97-107

References

External links

DR. E. H. HARBISON OF PRINCETON DIES
' obituary in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

,'' 15 July 1964 {{DEFAULTSORT:Harbison, E. Harris 1907 births 1964 deaths People from Sewickley, Pennsylvania Princeton University faculty Harvard University alumni Princeton University alumni