William Roscoe Thayer (January 16, 1859 – September 7, 1923) was an American author and editor who wrote about

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

history.

Biography

Thayer was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 16, 1859. He studied at St. Mark's Academy, Concord, New Hampshire, traveled with a private tutor in

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, and 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 high ...

in 1881, in the class with

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

. For several years, he was assistant editor of the

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''Evening Bulletin''. He then returned to Harvard, receiving the degree of A.M. in 1886. He was editor of the '' Harvard Graduates' Magazine'' from its foundation in 1892 until 1915. In 1903, at the International Historical Congress at Rome, he represented both Harvard University and 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 ...

, and in 1906 was their representative at the Italian Historical Congress in

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. In 1902, he was made Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy, and in 1917 Knight of the Order of Saints Maurizio and Lazaro. In 1914, he was elected to

The American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

and he received honorary degrees from Harvard,

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 ...

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and other universities. Thayer served as a member of the Harvard Board of Overseers from 1913 until 1919. He was president of the

from 1918 to 1919. He died on September 7, 1923 in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

Works

Verse

* ''The Confessiones of Hermes'' (1884) * ''Hesper, an American Drama'' (1888) * ''Poems, New and Old'' (1894)

Prose

* ''The Influence of Emerson'' (1886) * ''An Historical Sketch of Harvard University, From its Foundation to May, 1890'' (1890) * ''The Dawn of Italian Independence'' (1893) * ''The Best Elizabethan Plays'' (1895) * ''History and Customs of Harvard University'' (1898) * ''Throne-Makers'' (1899) * ''A Short History of Venice'' (1905) * ''Longfellow: Our National Poet'' (1907) * ''Life and Times of Cavour'' (two volumes, 1911) * ''Life and Letters of John Hay (1915) * ''Germany vs. Civilization (1916) * ''The Letters of John Holmes to James Russell Lowell and Others'' (1917) * ''The Collapse of Superman'' (1918) * ''Democracy: Discipline: Peace'' (1919) * ''Theodore Roosevelt: An Intimate Biography'' (1919 Grosset & Dunlap) * ''George Washington'' (1922)

References

* *

External links

* *
William Roscoe Thayer Papers
at

Houghton Library Houghton Library, on the south side of Harvard Yard adjacent to Widener Library, is Harvard University's primary repository for rare books and manuscripts. It is part of the Harvard College Library, the library system of Harvard's Faculty of ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thayer, William Roscoe 1859 births 1923 deaths American biographers 19th-century American historians 19th-century American poets American male poets American political writers The Harvard Lampoon alumni 19th-century American male writers American male biographers Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters