George Willis Botsford (May 9, 1862,

West Union, Iowa West Union is a city in Fayette County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,490 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Fayette County. History Originally called Knob Prairie, the community was founded by William Wells ...

– December 13, 1917, New York City) was an American classicist, ancient historian, and professor of history, specializing in Greek and Roman history. He is known for his textbooks on Greek and Roman history. Botsford graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1884 with an A.B. and in 1889 with an A.M. From 1884 to 1886 he studied at Johns Hopkins University. From 1886 to 1890 he was a professor of Greek at Kalamazoo College. In 1891 he graduated with a Ph.D. from Cornell University. His Ph.D. dissertation ''The Development of the Athenian Constitution'' was published in 1893. From 1891 to 1893 he was an instructor at Worcester Academy. From 1893 to 1895 he was a professor of Greek at Bethany College in West Virginia. At Harvard University he was an instructor from 1895 to 1901. At Columbia University he was from 1902 to 1903 a lecturer in ancient history, from 1903 to 1905 an instructor, from 1905 to 1910 an adjunct professor, and from 1910 a full professor, retaining his professorship until his death. In 1917 Botsford died suddenly in his office at Columbia University. For many years Botsford was on the editorial board of the '' Political Science Quarterly''. He published articles in the ''

Classical Review The Classical Association is a British learned society in the field of classics, aimed at developing classical study and promoting its importance in education. Constitution The association was founded on 19 December 1903, and its objects are de ...

'', '' The American Historical Review'', '' The Mentor Magazine'', '' The Nation'', and the ''

Encyclopaedia Britannica An encyclopedia (American English) or encyclopædia (British English) is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either general or special to a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles ...

''. His textbooks on Greek and Roman history gained prominence in secondary schools and colleges. In connection with his scholarly research he travelled to Italy and Greece. He married Lillie M. Shaw on August 30, 1891 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They had a son and a daughter. Their son, Jay Barrett Botsford (1893–1938), became a history professor at

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

Selected publications

* * * * * with Lillie Shaw Botsford * * * with Lillie Shaw Botsford * as editor with

Ernest Gottlieb Sihler Ernest Gottlieb Sihler (1853–1942) was a professor of classics at New York University. Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, he was the son of Lutheran missionary Wilhelm Sihler and great-uncle to Andrew Sihler. Sihler's professional name was Ernest G ...

* with Jay Barrett Botsford
1922 revised edition
* (posthumous), 520 pages, ed. Jay Barrett Botsford (New York, 1922; rev. ed. by C. A. Robinson, Jr., 1939; 5th ed. by Donald Kagan, 1960).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Botsford, George Willis 1862 births 1917 deaths University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni Cornell University alumni Columbia University faculty American classical scholars Classical scholars of Columbia University Historians of antiquity Scholars of ancient Greek history Historians of ancient Rome