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Francis March
Dr. Francis Andrew March (October 25, 1825 – September 9, 1911) was an American polymath, academic, philologist, and lexicographer. He is considered the principal founder of modern comparative linguistics in Old English.
Also known as the "Grand Old Man of Lafayette", March was the first individual to hold the title "Professor of English Language and Literature" anywhere in the United States or Europe. March is predominantly recognized for performing his duties as "Professor of the English Language and Comparative Philology" at Lafayette College, where he taught for 56 years.
March was born on October 25, 1825, in Sutton, Massachusetts, in present-day Millbury, Massachusetts. Three years later, his family relocated to Worcester, Massachusetts. As a child, he was educated in the Worcester public school system. March recalled being grateful for the education he received in the district, explaining his kindergarten teacher "made the children understand many things before the usual time." This prepared him for high school, where March became a clever and active participant in his classes and activities. He became a writer, read on a wide range of subjects, performed in school plays, and even wrote plays himself.
At the age of 15, March was ready for college, but his father experienced business troubles which hindered March's ability to afford tuition. The Honorable Alfred D. Foster of Worcester, however, offered to fund a portion of his education at Amherst College. During his time in college, March maintained prominence in scholarship as well and athletics. He graduated in 1845 as valedictorian and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He also received an M.A. degree from Amherst in 1848, with an oration on "Relation of the Study of Jurisprudence to the Baconian Philosophy." During his time at Amherst, his attention to the study of Anglo-Saxon was inspired by Noah Webster.
Immediately following his graduation from Amherst, March began teaching at an academy in Swanzey, New Hampshire. He then taught for two years at Leicester Academy in Leicester, Massachusetts, where he began formulating his plan to teach English and literature. From 1847 to 1848, he was a tutor at his alma mater.
March also expressed an interest in law. In 1849, he entered as a law student for the office of Barney and Butler. A year later, March was admitted to the New York bar. He began practicing the profession with partner Gordon L. Ford Esq. However, in 1852, March experienced severe health issues. He suffered a hemorrhage of the lungs and was rushed to Cuba, where it was hoped that Cuba's gentler climate would alleviate the problem, which it did. He resumed work the following year, securing a position teaching law at a private academy in Fredericksburg, Virginia, for three years.
After studying law and teaching, March became an English tutor at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1856, appointed by the college's new president George Wilson McPhail. He worked for one year as a tutor and then became a professor of English Language and Comparative Philology from 1857 to 1907. Lafayette was the first college in the world to have the philology of the English language studied – a course all American colleges soon thereafter incorporated into their own curricula. March was the first to hold the title of "Professor of English Language and Literature" anywhere in the United States or Europe. He also occupied the chair of English Language and Comparative Philology, and served as the first librarian of the college.
March had a significant career at Lafayette College and remained loyal to the school, often turning down offers from larger universities as his published work and teaching style became more well-known. March helped improve Lafayette by using his wisdom and insight to bring the college to a new stage. He was devoted to both increasing the analysis of English literature in higher institutions, as well as in growing the college's academics. In addition to English, March also taught French, German, Greek, Latin, botany, "mental philosophy", political economy, critical examination of the US Constitution, public law and Roman law.[citation needed]
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Francis March
Dr. Francis Andrew March (October 25, 1825 – September 9, 1911) was an American polymath, academic, philologist, and lexicographer. He is considered the principal founder of modern comparative linguistics in Old English.
Also known as the "Grand Old Man of Lafayette", March was the first individual to hold the title "Professor of English Language and Literature" anywhere in the United States or Europe. March is predominantly recognized for performing his duties as "Professor of the English Language and Comparative Philology" at Lafayette College, where he taught for 56 years.
March was born on October 25, 1825, in Sutton, Massachusetts, in present-day Millbury, Massachusetts. Three years later, his family relocated to Worcester, Massachusetts. As a child, he was educated in the Worcester public school system. March recalled being grateful for the education he received in the district, explaining his kindergarten teacher "made the children understand many things before the usual time." This prepared him for high school, where March became a clever and active participant in his classes and activities. He became a writer, read on a wide range of subjects, performed in school plays, and even wrote plays himself.
At the age of 15, March was ready for college, but his father experienced business troubles which hindered March's ability to afford tuition. The Honorable Alfred D. Foster of Worcester, however, offered to fund a portion of his education at Amherst College. During his time in college, March maintained prominence in scholarship as well and athletics. He graduated in 1845 as valedictorian and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He also received an M.A. degree from Amherst in 1848, with an oration on "Relation of the Study of Jurisprudence to the Baconian Philosophy." During his time at Amherst, his attention to the study of Anglo-Saxon was inspired by Noah Webster.
Immediately following his graduation from Amherst, March began teaching at an academy in Swanzey, New Hampshire. He then taught for two years at Leicester Academy in Leicester, Massachusetts, where he began formulating his plan to teach English and literature. From 1847 to 1848, he was a tutor at his alma mater.
March also expressed an interest in law. In 1849, he entered as a law student for the office of Barney and Butler. A year later, March was admitted to the New York bar. He began practicing the profession with partner Gordon L. Ford Esq. However, in 1852, March experienced severe health issues. He suffered a hemorrhage of the lungs and was rushed to Cuba, where it was hoped that Cuba's gentler climate would alleviate the problem, which it did. He resumed work the following year, securing a position teaching law at a private academy in Fredericksburg, Virginia, for three years.
After studying law and teaching, March became an English tutor at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1856, appointed by the college's new president George Wilson McPhail. He worked for one year as a tutor and then became a professor of English Language and Comparative Philology from 1857 to 1907. Lafayette was the first college in the world to have the philology of the English language studied – a course all American colleges soon thereafter incorporated into their own curricula. March was the first to hold the title of "Professor of English Language and Literature" anywhere in the United States or Europe. He also occupied the chair of English Language and Comparative Philology, and served as the first librarian of the college.
March had a significant career at Lafayette College and remained loyal to the school, often turning down offers from larger universities as his published work and teaching style became more well-known. March helped improve Lafayette by using his wisdom and insight to bring the college to a new stage. He was devoted to both increasing the analysis of English literature in higher institutions, as well as in growing the college's academics. In addition to English, March also taught French, German, Greek, Latin, botany, "mental philosophy", political economy, critical examination of the US Constitution, public law and Roman law.[citation needed]
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