Wallace Notestein (December 16, 1878 – February 2, 1969) was an American historian and

Sterling Professor Sterling Professor, the highest academic rank at Yale University, is awarded to a tenured faculty member considered the best in his or her field. It is akin to the rank of university professor at other universities. The appointment, made by the ...

of English History 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 ...

from 1928 to 1947. He was married to women's educational pioneer

Ada Comstock Ada Louise Comstock (December 11, 1876 – December 12, 1973) was an American women's education pioneer. She served as the first dean of women at the University of Minnesota and later as the first full-time president of Radcliffe College. Early ...

. He was a member of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace in Europe after World War I.

Early life

Notestein was born on Monday, December 16, 1878, in Wooster, Ohio, to parents Jonas O. and Margaret (née Wallace) Notestein. He was born into an academic family. His father was professor of Latin Language and Literature at The College of Wooster. His uncles were professors and his younger sister Lucy Lilian Notestein became a historian. Notestein graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1900 from

The College of Wooster The College of Wooster is a private liberal arts college in Wooster, Ohio. Founded in 1866 by the Presbyterian Church as the University of Wooster, it has been officially non-sectarian since 1969 when ownership ties with the Presbyterian Church ...

. In 1903 and 1908 he received his

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree and

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

., respectively, from

Career

Notestein joined the faculty of history at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

from 1905 until 1907 when he left to teach at 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 ...

. During his lengthy tenure in Minnesota, he published his first book titled ''A History of Witchcraft in England from 1558 to 1718'' through 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 ...

. It was a chronological survey of Witchcraft in early modern Britain. In 1919, Notestein was a member of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace in Europe after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Upon his return, he accepted the role of Professor of English History at

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 ...

. Notestein stayed at Cornell for eight years, during which he was appointed the Goldwin Smith Chair of English History, before leaving to become a

at his alma mater, Yale. During his first year at Yale, he was appointed by British Prime Minister

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first who belonged to the Labour Party, leading minority Labour governments for nine months in 1924 ...

to serve on a British commission investigating materials for a history of the personnel of the

House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 me ...

. He was later honored by the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

in 1958 with an honorary

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

degree. Notestein also received an honorary

degree from

in 1951. Notestein died on Sunday, February 2, 1969, in

New Haven, Connecticut 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 a heart attack.

Personal life

Notestein married women's educational pioneer and former president of

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...

in 1943.

Works

*
A History of Witchcraft in England from 1558 to 1718
' (1911) *
Source Problems in English History
' (1915), co-authored with Albert Beebe White *
The Stuart Period: Unsolved Problems
' (1916), co-authored with Roland G. Usher *
Conquest and Kultur: Aims of the Germans in Their Own Words
' (1918), co-authored with Elmer E. Stoll *
Source Problem: The Growth of the Powers of Parliament
' (1921) *
Commons debates for 1629
' (1921), co-edited with Frances Helen Relf *
The Journal of Sir Simonds D'Ewes: From the Beginning of the Long Parliament to the Opening of the Trial of the Earl of Strafford
' (1923) *
The Winning Initiative by the House of Commons
' (1924) *''The Winning of the Initiative by the House of Commons'' (1926) *''English Folk: A Book of Characters'' (1938) *''The Scot in History: A Study of the Interplay of Character and History'' (1946) *
The English People on the Eve of Colonization, 1603–1630
' (1954) *
Four Worthies: John Chamberlain, Anne Clifford, John Taylor, Oliver Heywood
' (1957) *''The House of Commons, 1604–1610'' (1971)

References

External links

* * * Wallace Notestein papers (MS 544). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library

English Historical Library of Wallace Notestein
at

University Archives Information Files Collection (ua1158)
Biographical Files. Archives and Special Collections, University of Minnesota Libraries, Elmer L. Andersen Library,