Thomas Day Seymour
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Thomas Day Seymour (April 1, 1848December 31, 1907) was an American
classical scholar Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
. He spent most of his career as a Professor of Greek at Yale University and published primarily on the works of
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
.


Life

Born in
Hudson, Ohio Hudson is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,110 at the 2020 census. It is a suburban community in the Akron metropolitan statistical area and the larger Cleveland–Akron–Canton Combined Statistical Area, th ...
, Seymour graduated with a
B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
in 1870 at Western Reserve College, present day
Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...
, where his father, Nathan Perkins Seymour, was for many years Professor of
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
and
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
. He received an ''
ad eundem Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
'' degree from
Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
in 1870, and honorary
LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...
degrees from Western Reserve in 1894, from
Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...
in 1901, and from
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 ...
in 1906. After studying in
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
and
Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
and making many visits to Greece, Seymour returned to Western Reserve College as
professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
of Greek from 1872 to 1880 before becoming professor of Greek at
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
in 1880, holding his position until his death in
New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
. From 1887 to 1901 Seymour was chairman of the managing committee of the American School of Classical Studies at
Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
, and was president of the Archaeological Institute of America from 1903. He was one of the American editors of the '' Classical Review''. He was the father of Yale President
Charles Seymour Charles Seymour (January 1, 1885 – August 11, 1963) was an American academic, historian and the 15th President of Yale University from 1937 to 1951. As an academic administrator, he was instrumental in establishing Yale's residential colleg ...
, and the great-nephew of Yale President
Jeremiah Day Jeremiah Day (August 3, 1773 – August 22, 1867) was an American academic, a Congregational minister and President of Yale College (1817–1846). Early life Day was the son of Rev. Jeremiah and Abigail (Noble) Osborn Day, who were descendant ...
. He married Sarah Melissa Hitchcock (b. Sep. 27, 1846) of
Burton, Ohio Burton is a village in Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,452 at the 2010 census. Burton is the location of Century Village, run by the Geauga Historical Society. The museum village is composed of 19th-century buildings mo ...
on July 2, 1874, daughter of Western Reserve College president Rev. Henry L. Hitchcock and granddaughter of Justice Peter Hitchcock.''The Family of the Rev. Jeremiah Day of New Preston to January 1, 1900: A Genealogical Appendix to The Chronicles of the Day Family'' (1900)
The Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Co., New Haven, Conn.
They had three children; Elizabeth Day Seymour (b. Jan 21, 1876) was his eldest daughter, and she married
John Angel (sculptor) John Angel (November 1, 1881 – October 16, 1960) was a British-born sculptor, architectural and ecclesiastical sculptor, medallist and lecturer. He emigrated to the United States where he created architectural sculpture. His work in the Unit ...
in 1942. Clara Hitchcock Seymour was born on March 28, 1880, and his youngest child Charles Seymour was born on Jan. 1, 1885.


Publications

Other than his ''Selected Odes of
Pindar Pindar (; grc-gre, Πίνδαρος , ; la, Pindarus; ) was an Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes. Of the canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar is ...
'' (1882), Seymour's published work was largely confined to the study of the
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
ic poems, viz: * "On the Date of the Prometheus of Aeschylus" (1879) *''An Introduction to the Language and Verse of Homer'' (1885) *''Homer's
Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odysse ...
'', i.-iv. (1887–1890) *''Homeric Vocabulary'' (1889) * "Carroll Cutler" (1894) *''Introduction and Vocabulary to School Odyssey'' (1897) * ''The College Series of Greek Authors'', editor with Lewis R Packard and John W White. ** Plato: ''Apology of Socrates and Crito'' (1885) Ginn & Co. * "The First Twenty Years of the School At Athens" (1902) *''Life in the Homeric Age'' (1907)


References


External links

* Seymour family papers (MS 440). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Seymour, Thomas Day 1848 births 1907 deaths American classical scholars Case Western Reserve University alumni Case Western Reserve University faculty Classical scholars of Yale University People from Hudson, Ohio Scholars of ancient Greek literature Yale University faculty Western Reserve Academy alumni