Albert Harkness
Encyclopedia
Albert Harkness was an American
classical scholar and educator, born at Mendon
, Massachusetts
He graduated at Brown University
in 1842, was senior master of the Providence High School from 1846 to 1853, pursued studies in Germany
at the universities of Berlin
, Bonn
, and Göttingen
, and was the first American to obtain a degree from Bonn (Ph.D.
, 1854). In 1855 he was appointed professor
of Greek in Brown University. He visited Europe
in 1870 and 1883 and there investigated educational questions, in particular the methods of German and English universities. He assisted in founding the American Philological Association
, of which he was a first vice president in 1869-70 and president in 1875-76. As a member of the Archæological Institute of America
, he was appointed in 1881 to the committee on the expediency of establishing an American
School of Classical Studies at Athens
, an institution which was opened in 1882. In 1884 he was elected director of the school. He lectured extensively before learned societies, contributed valuable papers on original researches in philology
to the Transactions
of the American Philological Association, and from 1851 published a series of textbooks in Latin studies, of which it may be said that from them dated the beginning of a new era in the Latin department of classical studies in America. The volumes include:
Professor Harkness received the degree of LL.D. from Brown University in 1869.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
classical scholar and educator, born at Mendon
Mendon, Massachusetts
Mendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,839 at the 2010 census.Mendon is very historic and is now part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, the oldest industrialized region in the United States.- Early history :The Nipmuc people...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
He graduated at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in 1842, was senior master of the Providence High School from 1846 to 1853, pursued studies in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
at the universities of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
, Bonn
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university located in Bonn, Germany. Founded in its present form in 1818, as the linear successor of earlier academic institutions, the University of Bonn is today one of the leading universities in Germany. The University of Bonn offers a large number...
, and Göttingen
Georg-August University of Göttingen
The University of Göttingen , known informally as Georgia Augusta, is a university in the city of Göttingen, Germany.Founded in 1734 by King George II of Great Britain and the Elector of Hanover, it opened for classes in 1737. The University of Göttingen soon grew in size and popularity...
, and was the first American to obtain a degree from Bonn (Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
, 1854). In 1855 he was appointed professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Greek in Brown University. He visited Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in 1870 and 1883 and there investigated educational questions, in particular the methods of German and English universities. He assisted in founding the American Philological Association
American Philological Association
The American Philological Association , founded in 1869, is a non-profit North American scholarly organization devoted to all aspects of Greek and Roman civilization...
, of which he was a first vice president in 1869-70 and president in 1875-76. As a member of the Archæological Institute of America
Archaeological Institute of America
The Archaeological Institute of America is a North American nonprofit organization devoted to the promotion of public interest in archaeology, and the preservation of archaeological sites. It has offices on the campus of Boston University and in New York City.The institute was founded in 1879,...
, he was appointed in 1881 to the committee on the expediency of establishing an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
School of Classical Studies at Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, an institution which was opened in 1882. In 1884 he was elected director of the school. He lectured extensively before learned societies, contributed valuable papers on original researches in philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
to the Transactions
Transactions of the American Philological Association
Transactions of the American Philological Association is an academic journal established in 1869 and the official publication of the American Philological Association. It uses a wide range of approaches to explore pertinent issues in the history, culture, and language of ancient Greek and Roman...
of the American Philological Association, and from 1851 published a series of textbooks in Latin studies, of which it may be said that from them dated the beginning of a new era in the Latin department of classical studies in America. The volumes include:
- First Latin Book (1851)
- "First Greek Book" (1860, 1885 revised)original cost was $1.05 hardback and was published by American Book Company New York, Cincinnati and Chicago from the press of D. Appleton & Company with two prefaces (original and Revised respectively)
- Second Latin Book and Reader (1853)
- A Latin Grammar for Schools and Colleges (1864)
- a Latin Reader (1865)
- Introduction to Latin Composition (1868, 1888)
- annotated editions of Cæsar's De Bello Gallico (1870, 1886)
- select orations of CiceroCiceroMarcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
(1973, 1882) - Sallust'sSallustGaius Sallustius Crispus, generally known simply as Sallust , a Roman historian, belonged to a well-known plebeian family, and was born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines...
Catilina (1878, 1884) - an annotated Course in Latin Prose Authors (1878)
- a standard Latin Grammar (1864, 1881), published in a thorough revision with many additions as A Complete Latin Grammar (1898)
Professor Harkness received the degree of LL.D. from Brown University in 1869.