Isaac Kaufmann Funk (September 10, 1839April 4, 1912) was an American
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
minister, editor,
lexicographer
Lexicography is the study of lexicons, and is divided into two separate academic disciplines. It is the art of compiling dictionaries.
* Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries.
* Theoreti ...
,
publisher
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
, and
spelling reform
A spelling reform is a deliberate, often authoritatively sanctioned or mandated change to spelling rules. Proposals for such reform are fairly common, and over the years, many languages have undergone such reforms. Recent high-profile examples ar ...
er.
He was the co-founder of
Funk & Wagnalls Company, the father of author
Wilfred J. Funk
Wilfred John Funk (March 20, 1883 – June 1, 1965) was an American writer, poet, lexicographer and publisher. He was president of Funk & Wagnalls from 1925 to 1940, and founded the publishing company Wilfred Funk, Inc.
Personal life
Funk wa ...
(who founded his own publishing company, Wilfred Funk, Inc., and wrote the ''Word Power'' feature in
Reader's Digest
''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...
from 1945 to 1962), and the grandfather of author Peter Funk, who continued his father's authorship of ''Word Power'' until 2003.
Funk & Wagnalls Company published
The Literary Digest
''The Literary Digest'' was an influential American general interest weekly magazine published by Funk & Wagnalls. Founded by Isaac Kaufmann Funk in 1890, it eventually merged with two similar weekly magazines, ''Public Opinion'' and '' Current O ...
, ''The Standard Dictionary of the English Language'', and ''Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia''.
Early life
Funk was born in 1839 in the village of
Clifton, Ohio.
In 1842, he moved to
Springfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County, Ohio, Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, approxim ...
, where his father John managed the
Pennsylvania House
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts.
It ...
.
Years later, he attended Wittenberg College (now
Wittenberg University
Wittenberg University is a private liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio. It has 1,326 full-time students representing 33 states and 9 foreign countries. Wittenberg University is associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
...
) and Wittenberg Theological Seminary, both in Springfield.
Career
Upon his graduation in 1860, he was ordained as a
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
pastor, and served
pastorate
A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
s in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, and his home state of
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
; his last pastorate was at Saint Matthews English Lutheran Church in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, where he stayed seven years.
In 1872, Funk resigned from the ministry and made an extensive tour through Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, northern Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
, and Asia Minor
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
.[
Funk was a ]prohibitionist
Prohibitionism is a legal philosophy and political theory often used in lobbying which holds that citizens will abstain from actions if the actions are typed as unlawful (i.e. prohibited) and the prohibitions are enforced by law enforcement.C Canty ...
. He founded the ''Voice'' in 1880, an organ of the Prohibition Party
The Prohibition Party (PRO) is a political party in the United States known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages and as an integral part of the temperance movement. It is the oldest existing third party ...
, and he was the Prohibition candidate for mayor of New York
The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...
.[ His ]Staten Island
Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...
home, "grand in scale and extremely decorative", was built in 1893 in what was then Prohibition Park, and the home still stands.
In 1875 he founded the publishing firm of I.K. Funk & Company, with the help of a Wittenberg classmate, Adam Willis Wagnalls, a lawyer and accountant. That year he founded and published the ''Metropolitan Pulpit'' (later its name was changed to ''Homiletic Review'').[ ''Missionary Review'' also numbered among the many religious publications he founded after 1876.][ In 1877 the name of his company was changed to Funk & Wagnalls Company, to reflect Wagnalls' partnership. In 1890 Funk published '']The Literary Digest
''The Literary Digest'' was an influential American general interest weekly magazine published by Funk & Wagnalls. Founded by Isaac Kaufmann Funk in 1890, it eventually merged with two similar weekly magazines, ''Public Opinion'' and '' Current O ...
'', a departure from the religious works earlier in his career.
Perhaps Funk's most important achievement was his ''Standard Dictionary of the English Language'', the first volume of which was published in 1893. He worked with a team of more than 740 people. His aim was to provide essential information thoroughly and simply at the same time. In order to achieve this he placed current meanings first, archaic meanings second, and etymologies
Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words and ...
last. The dictionary was said to have cost Funk & Wagnalls
Funk & Wagnalls was an American publisher known for its reference works, including ''A Standard Dictionary of the English Language'' (1st ed. 1893–5), and the ''Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia'' (25 volumes, 1st ed. 1912).Funk & Wagnalls N ...
over $960,000.
From 1901 until 1906, Funk & Wagnalls
Funk & Wagnalls was an American publisher known for its reference works, including ''A Standard Dictionary of the English Language'' (1st ed. 1893–5), and the ''Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia'' (25 volumes, 1st ed. 1912).Funk & Wagnalls N ...
compiled the ''Jewish Encyclopædia''. After Funk died in 1912, the publishing house eventually became a subsidiary of Thomas Y. Crowell Co.
Thomas Y. Crowell Co. was a publishing company founded by Thomas Y. Crowell. The company began as a bookbindery founded by Benjamin Bradley in 1834. Crowell operated the business after Bradley's death in 1862 and eventually purchased the compan ...
Psychic research
In his later years, Funk spent time on psychic research. Funk was a believer in spiritualism
Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spiritualism (when not lowercase) ...
and in his book, ''The Widow's Mite and Other Psychic Phenomena'', published in 1904, he defended a number of mediums
Mediumship is the practice of purportedly mediating communication between familiar spirits or spirits of the dead and living human beings. Practitioners are known as "mediums" or "spirit mediums". There are different types of mediumship or spir ...
and spirit photography
Spirit photography (also called ghost photography) is a type of photography whose primary goal is to capture images of ghosts and other spiritual Non-physical entity, entities, especially in ghost hunting. It dates back to the late 19th century. ...
.
Magician Joseph Rinn
Joseph Francis Rinn (1868–1952) was an American magician and skeptic of paranormal phenomena.
Career
Rinn grew up in New York City. He coached Harry Houdini as a teenager in running at the Pastime Athletic Club. He remained a friend to Houdin ...
has noted that Funk was easily duped by fraudulent mediums, such as the Bangs Sisters
The Bangs Sisters, Mary "May" E. Bangs (1862–1917) and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Snow Bangs (1859–1920), were two fraudulent spiritualist mediums from Chicago, who made a career out of painting the dead or "Spirit Portraits".
Career
Elizabeth was ...
. Funk had bought several of their 'spirit' pictures, unaware they were produced fraudulently. He also defended Anna Eva Fay and May S. Pepper, two mediums that were also exposed.
Personal life
Funk married Eliza Thompson of Carey, Ohio in 1864. After her death in 1868, Funk married her sister, Helen Gertrude Thompson (1842–1911). Funk had two sons and a daughter:
* James A. Funk (1876–1898), who predeceased his father in 1898 at age 21.
* Wilfred John Funk
Wilfred John Funk (March 20, 1883 – June 1, 1965) was an American writer, poet, lexicographer and publisher. He was president of Funk & Wagnalls from 1925 to 1940, and founded the publishing company Wilfred Funk, Inc.
Personal life
Funk wa ...
(1883–1965)
* Lida M. Funk, a Vassar College
Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...
graduate who married Robert Scott in 1895.
Funk died in Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair () is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a wealthy and diverse commuter town and suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. As ...
on April 4, 1912. After some bequests to his alma mater and his brother, the residue of the estate was left to his two surviving children.
Selected works
''The Complete Preacher, Sermons Preached By Some of the Most Prominent Clergymen''
(The Religious Newspaper Agency, New York. 1878)
*''Great Advance: Address by Dr. I.K. Funk, as Chairman of the New York Prohibition State Convention. Saratoga, September 12, 1895'' (The Voice. 1895)
''Next Step in Evolution the Present Step''
(1902)
''The Widow's Mite and Other Psychic Phenomena''
(Funk & Wagnalls Co. 1904)
''The Psychic Riddle''
(Funk & Wagnalls Co. 1907)
*''Standard Encyclopedia of the World's Knowledge'' (Funk and Wagnalls Co. 1912)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Funk, Isaac Kaufmann
1839 births
1912 deaths
People from Clifton, Ohio
19th-century American Lutheran clergy
American lexicographers
American publishers (people)
American spiritualists
Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery
American parapsychologists
Wittenberg University alumni
New York (state) Prohibitionists
19th-century American businesspeople