Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Fitzwilliam, Sir William, 1526–99, lord deputy of Ireland. He acquired (1547) land in Ireland by a grant of Edward VI. Although a Protestant, he was loyal to Queen Mary I, and she appointed him keep...

(Encyclopedia) Frankland, Sir Edward, 1825–99, English chemist. He studied under Bunsen and Liebig and taught at several English institutions. In working on the synthesis and isolation of compounds he evolved the ...

(Encyclopedia) Helpmann, Sir Robert, 1909–1986, Australian dancer and choreographer. He danced as a principal (1933–50) with Sadler's Wells Ballet (now the Royal Ballet), often partnering with Margot Fonteyn. Hi...

(Encyclopedia) Siemens, Sir William, 1823–83, English electrical engineer, b. Germany; brother of Ernst Werner von Siemens. Originally his name was Carl Wilhelm Siemens. After visiting England to introduce an elec...

(Encyclopedia) Smirke, Sir Robert, 1781–1867, English architect, one of the most noted exponents of the classic revival. His best-known design is the main facade of the British Museum (1823–47). Other buildings ...

(Encyclopedia) Balfour, Sir James, d. 1583, Scottish judge and politician. Captured (1547) at St. Andrews after the murder of Cardinal Beaton, he served a sentence in the French galleys and on his release (1549) abj...

(Encyclopedia) Banks, Sir Joseph, 1743–1820, British naturalist and patron of the sciences. He accompanied Capt. James Cook on his voyage around the world and made large collections of biological specimens, most o...

(Encyclopedia) Penn, Sir William, 1621–70, British admiral. In the English civil war he served in Parliament's naval forces, and he joined the pursuit (1651–52) of Prince Rupert in the Mediterranean. He served i...

(Encyclopedia) Beaton, Sir Cecil Walter Hardy bēˈtən [key], 1904–80, English scenery and costume designer, photographer, writer, painter, and diarist. After designing his first stage show (1935), Beaton worked ...

(Encyclopedia) MacNab, Sir Allan Napier, 1798–1862, Canadian political leader, b. Ontario. He fought in the War of 1812 and later became a lawyer. A staunch supporter of English policies, he commanded “the men o...