![InquiryatParis1919](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/InquiryatParis1919.jpg)
William Linn Westermann (September 15, 1873 – October 4, 1954) was an American historian and
papyrologist
Papyrology is the study of manuscripts of ancient literature, correspondence, legal archives, etc., preserved on portable media from antiquity, the most common form of which is papyrus, the principal writing material in the ancient civilizations ...
who served as the president of 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 ...
in 1944. He was regarded as an expert on the economy of the ancient world.
Career
Westermann was born in
Belleville, Illinois
Belleville is a city and the county seat of St. Clair County, Illinois, coterminous with the now defunct Belleville Township. It is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville and the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows. The p ...
, and attended the
University of Nebraska
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
and
University of Berlin
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...
. He taught at the
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...
from 1902 to 1906, then left for the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
. In 1908, Westermann joined the faculty of the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
. He spent twelve years of his academic career in Wisconsin, moving to
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
in 1920.
He was appointed professor of ancient history at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
on March 5, 1923.
During his tenure at Columbia, Westermann acquired a large collection of Egyptian papyri for the institution.
He retired in 1948 to become a visiting professor at the
University of Alexandria
Alexandria University ( ar, جامعة الإسكندرية) is a public university in Alexandria, Egypt. It was established in 1938 as a satellite of Fouad University (the name of which was later changed to Cairo University), becoming an indepen ...
in Egypt.
Westermann was appointed to the
American Commission to Negotiate Peace and advised President
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
on Greek and Turkish events at the
Paris Peace Conference of 1919
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. He was a member of the
American Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome.
The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers.
History
In 1893, a group of American architects, ...
's Broad of Trustees from 1922 to 1933.
He was elected to the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
in 1944.
Personal life
Westermann, a descendant of
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
and
Sharon Tyndale, died at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York on October 4, 1954.
His wife, Avrina Davies Westermann, whom he married on June 15, 1912,
died on December 21, 1960.
They had one son, Evan Davies Westermann, (1914–1991) who attended the
Scarsdale public schools,
Phillips Exeter Academy
(not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God)
, location = 20 Main Street
, city = Exeter, New Hampshire
, zipcode ...
, graduated 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 ...
, and worked for the New York Department of Commerce. He married Virginia Woodworth on August 4, 1942,
and had two children.
References
External links
*
William Linn Westermann papers, ca. 1930–1954at the Columbia University Library.
William Linn Westermann, Correspondence, 1918–1919at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Library
William Linn Westermann's presidential address and pictureat the American Historical Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Westermanm, William Linn
1873 births
1954 deaths
People from Belleville, Illinois
20th-century American historians
American male non-fiction writers
Presidents of the American Historical Association
University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni
University of Missouri faculty
University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty
Cornell University faculty
Columbia University faculty
University of Minnesota faculty
American papyrologists
American people of English descent
20th-century American male writers
Expatriates from the United States in the German Empire
Members of the American Philosophical Society