John Algeo (1930–2019) was an American academic, trained as a linguist, and the author of one of the standard American textbooks on the history of the English language. He was also a

Theosophist Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion a ...

and a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

. He was the Vice President of the

Theosophical Society Adyar The Theosophy Society was founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and others in 1875. The designation 'Adyar' is sometimes added to the name to make it clear that this is the Theosophical Society headquartered there, after the American section ...

and, was a Professor Emeritus of English at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

Biography

Algeo was born in

St Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. He joined the army and served in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and became a sergeant. He married Adele Silbereisen in 1958. He earned a Bachelor of Education degree from the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

in 1955, and Master of Arts (1957) and Doctor of Philosophy (1960) degrees from the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

. He was an instructor at

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

from 1959 to 1961. He returned to the University of Florida in 1961 as an assistant professor of English, becoming an associate professor in 1966, assistant dean of the graduate school in 1969 and a full professor in 1970. Algeo moved to the

in 1971 as a professor of English. He was chair of the English department from 1975 until 1979. He became professor emeritus in 1994. John Algeo was national president of the Theosophical Society America in 1993, president of the

American Dialect Society The American Dialect Society (ADS), founded in 1889, is a learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it." The Society ...

, 1979, president of the

Dictionary Society of North America The Dictionary Society of North America (DSNA) was founded in 1975 to encourage scholarly and professional activities that have to do with dictionaries and lexicography. Since 1994, DSNA has been a member of the American Council of Learned Societie ...

, 1995-97, president of the

American Name Society The American Name Society (ANS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1951 to promote onomastics, the study of names and naming practices, both in the United States and abroad. The organization investigates cultural insights, settlement history, ...

, 1984, editor of ''

American Speech ''American Speech'' is a quarterly academic journal of the American Dialect Society, established in 1925 and currently published by Duke University Press. It focuses primarily on the English language used in the Western Hemisphere, but also publis ...

'', 1969-82, and editor of ''Quest'' magazine, 1995. John Algeo died October 13, 2019, in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Books

Linguistics and philology

* With John Pyles. * With Ralph Williams, Judith Patton Hudson and Margaret Farcas. * * With Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum. * * Editor. * Editor, with Adele S. Algeo. * Editor. * With Carmen Acevedo Butcher. * * *

Theosophy

* * Editor. * With Shirley Nicholson. * * *

References

1930 births American Theosophists 2019 deaths Linguists from the United States University of Miami School of Education alumni University of Florida alumni University of Florida faculty University of Georgia faculty {{US-linguist-stub