Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Talbot, William Henry Fox, 1800–1877, English inventor of photographic processes (see photography, still). A man of enormously versatile intelligence, he invented the “photogenic drawing” proces...

(Encyclopedia) Newcastle, William Cavendish, duke of, 1593?–1676, English soldier and politician. Of great wealth, Cavendish became (1638) governor of the prince of Wales and a privy councilor. During the civil wa...

(Encyclopedia) O'Brien, William Smith, 1803–64, Irish revolutionary. He entered Parliament from Ireland in 1828 and worked for Catholic Emancipation, Irish poor relief, and state support of the Irish Catholic cler...

(Encyclopedia) Penn, William, 1644–1718, English Quaker, founder of Pennsylvania, b. London, England; son of Sir William Penn. Penn became involved in the affairs of the American colonies when in 1675 he was ap...

(Encyclopedia) Hamilton, Sir William Rowan, 1805–65, Irish mathematician and astronomer, b. Dublin. A child prodigy, he had mastered 13 languages by the age of 13 and was still an undergraduate when he became prof...

(Encyclopedia) Carstares or Carstairs, William, 1649–1715, Scottish statesman and Presbyterian divine. While studying theology at Utrecht, he became a friend of William of Orange (later William III of England). He...

(Encyclopedia) Byrde, William. For persons thus named, use Byrd, William.

(Encyclopedia) Browne, William (William Browne of Tavistock) tăvˈĭstŏkˌ [key], 1591?–1645?, English poet. An imitator of Spenser, he did his finest work in pastoral poetry, of which Britannia's Pastorals (161...

(Encyclopedia) McClernand, John Alexander, 1812–1900, Union general in the American Civil War, b. Breckinridge co., Ky. He was admitted (1832) to the Illinois bar and sat as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Represe...

(Encyclopedia) Shakspere, William: see Shakespeare, William. ...