Louise Ropes Loomis (May 3, 1874 – January 2, 1958) was an American historian, classicist, and translator. She was a professor of history at

Wells College Wells College is a private liberal arts college in Aurora, New York. The college has cross-enrollment with Cornell University and Ithaca College. For much of its history it was a women's college. Wells College is located in the Finger Lakes ...

from 1921 to 1940, and editor of Classics Club Publications from the 1920s until 1949. In 1930, she co-founded the

Berkshire Conference of Women Historians The Berkshire Conference of Women Historians (also known as the "Little Berks") is an organization for female historians. The Conference welcomes women historians from all fields and historical eras, not just the history of women and gender. The B ...

with Louise Fargo Brown.

Early life and education

Louise Ropes Loomis was born in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

, the daughter of Henry Loomis and Jane Herring Greene Loomis; her parents were Presbyterian missionaries in Japan. Her brother was Arthurian scholar

Roger Sherman Loomis Roger Sherman Loomis (1887–1966) was an American scholar and one of the foremost authorities on medieval and Arthurian literature. Loomis is perhaps best known for showing the roots of Arthurian legend, in particular the Holy Grail, in native ...

; physician Evarts G. Loomis was one of her nephews. In 1897, Loomis graduated from Wellesley College, where she was a literary editor of ''The Wellesley Magazine''. She earned a master's degree 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 ...

in 1902, and completed doctoral studies at there in 1906, with a dissertation titled "Medieval Hellenism".

Career

Loomis was a lecturer in history at

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

, and was appointed Warden of Sage College 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 tea ...

in 1905. In 1906 and 1928, she spoke at the annual meetings 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 ...

. From 1921 to 1940, she was a professor of history at Wells College. In 1930, she co-founded the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians, with Louise Fargo Brown of

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...

. She was editor of Classics Club Publications from the mid-1920s until 1949.

Publications

* ''Medieval Hellenism'' (1906) * "The Greek Renaissance in Italy" (1908) * ''The Book of the Popes I (Liber pontificalis): To the Pontificate of Gregory I'' (translator, 1916) * ''The see of Peter'' (with James T. Shotwell, 1927) * "The Organization by Nations at Constance" (1932) * "Nationality at the Council of Constance: An Anglo-French Dispute" (1939) *

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 ...

, ''The Iliad of Homer'' (editor, with Samuel Butler, 1942) *

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

, ''Apology, Crito, Phaedo, Symposium, Republic'' (editor, with

Benjamin Jowett Benjamin Jowett (, modern variant ; 15 April 1817 – 1 October 1893) was an English tutor and administrative reformer in the University of Oxford, a theologian, an Anglican cleric, and a translator of Plato and Thucydides. He was Master of B ...

, 1942) *

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...

, ''On man in the universe: Metaphysics, Parts of animals, Ethics, Politics, Poetics'' (editor, 1943) * Homer, ''The Odyssey of Homer'' (editor, with Samuel Butler, 1944) * ''The Council of Constance: The unification of the church'' (translator, with

John Hine Mundy John Hine Mundy (December 29, 1917 – April 13, 2004) was a British-American medievalist. He was professor of history emeritus at Columbia University, where he taught for more than forty years. Biography Mundy was born on December 29, 1917, in ...

and Kennerly M. Woody, 1961)

Personal life

Loomis lived with Mary Katharine Fuertes, daughter of Cornell engineer

Estevan Antonio Fuertes Estevan Antonio Fuertes (May 10, 1838 – January 16, 1903) was a Puerto Rican- American civil engineer and professor of astronomy at Cornell University. Biography Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Estevan Antonio Fuertes was the son of Estevan an ...

, for many years (they are recorded as living together in the 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal censuses, and in the 1915 New York State census), and the two women co-owned a poultry farm in Washingtonville. Loomis died in 1958, in

Pomfret, Connecticut Pomfret is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,266 in 2020 according to the 2020 United States Census. The land was purchased from Native Americans in 1686 (the "Mashmuket Purchase" or "Mashamoquet Purchase ...

, aged 83 years. Her papers are in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Columbia University.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loomis, Louise Ropes 1874 births 1958 deaths People from Yokohama Wellesley College alumni Columbia University alumni American women historians Cornell University faculty Wells College faculty American editors American translators