Wilbur Cortez Abbott (December 28, 1869 – February 3, 1947) was an American historian and educator, born at

Kokomo, Indiana Kokomo ( ) is a city in Indiana and the county seat of Howard County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Howard County, the Kokomo-Peru CSA, which includ ...

. He graduated from

Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts cur ...

in 1892. Afterward, he studied 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 ...

(1892—95) and at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1897 where he received the degree of B.Litt. In the United States, he worked at various institutions of higher learning including

Cornell 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 ...

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, Dartmouth,

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 ...

, before being hired in 1908 at

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 ...

. During his time at Yale he gained wide scholastic attention with the publication of ''The Expansion of Europe'' in 1917. In 1920 he was offered a position at Harvard University, in substitution of

Harold Laski Harold Joseph Laski (30 June 1893 – 24 March 1950) was an English political theorist and economist. He was active in politics and served as the chairman of the British Labour Party from 1945 to 1946 and was a professor at the London School of ...

. At Harvard Abbott became the Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History. There he also became a stock-holder in the Harvard Cooperative Society, and an Associate of

Lowell House Lowell House is one of twelve undergraduate residential Houses at Harvard University, located at 10 Holyoke Place facing Mount Auburn Street between Harvard Yard and the Charles River. Officially, it is named for the Lowell family, but an orna ...

. Abbott was elected a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

in 1921. Abbott was an admirer of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

(a notable English military and political leader in the 17th Century), owning memorabilia of his and authoring a bibliography book of Cromwell's works. Abbott advised Robert G. Albion in his notable doctoral thesis ''Forests and Sea Power: The Timber Problem of the Royal Navy'', published in 1926.

Author

He wrote *''Colonel Thomas Blood, Crown Stealer'' (1911) *''Expansion of Europe'' (1917) *''Colonel John Scott of Long Island'' (1918) *''Conflicts with Oblivion'' (1924) *''The War and American Democracy'' *''The New Barbarians'' (1925) *''A Bibliography of Oliver Cromwell'' (1929) *''New York in the American revolution'' (1929)

Honors

Around 1930 Abbott visited Finland, where

The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper of Harvard University and was founded in 1873. Run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates, it served for many years as the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beginning in the f ...

recounts "the Professor landed in Finland only to discover that he was something of a national figure. He was feted; he was invited to important function; his picture was printed in the papers. Professor Abbott has always been fond of Finland" ''Essays in Modern English History in Honor of Wilbur Cortez Abbott'', Harvard University Press, 1941

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Wilbur Cortez 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers People from Kokomo, Indiana Wabash College alumni Cornell University alumni Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Alumni of the University of Oxford Cornell University faculty University of Michigan faculty Dartmouth College faculty University of Kansas faculty Yale University faculty 1869 births 1947 deaths Historians from Indiana 20th-century American male writers