Ernest Samuels
Encyclopedia
Ernest Samuels was an American biographer and lawyer.
Born in Chicago
, he received his J.D.
in 1926, but switched to literature in 1930. Nevertheless he did legal work as well for much of the 1930s. He might be best known for his biography of Henry Adams in three volumes. For this work he received the Bancroft Prize
and the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography
His two-volume biography Bernard Berenson: The Making of a Connoisseur (Cambridge, MA 1979); Bernard Berenson: The Making of a Legend (Cambridge, MA 1987) is considered the most well-researched and important study of its subject.
Born in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, he received his J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
in 1926, but switched to literature in 1930. Nevertheless he did legal work as well for much of the 1930s. He might be best known for his biography of Henry Adams in three volumes. For this work he received the Bancroft Prize
Bancroft Prize
The Bancroft Prize is awarded each year by the trustees of Columbia University for books about diplomacy or the history of the Americas. It was established in 1948 by a bequest from Frederic Bancroft...
and the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography
Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography
The Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography has been presented since 1917 for a distinguished biography or autobiography by an American author.-1910s:* 1917: Julia Ward Howe by Laura E...
His two-volume biography Bernard Berenson: The Making of a Connoisseur (Cambridge, MA 1979); Bernard Berenson: The Making of a Legend (Cambridge, MA 1987) is considered the most well-researched and important study of its subject.