Edith Hamilton(1867-1963)
- Writer
Born in Dresden, Germany, of American parents, educator Edith Hamilton
was raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She took a very early interest in
Greek and Roman literature, and after graduating from Bryn Mawr College
in 1894 with an M.A., she spent the following two years at the German
universities of Leipzig and Munich (becoming the first woman to attend
classes there). In late 1896 she returned to the US and helped organize
the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Maryland, a prep school, to which
she was appointed headmistress. She remained in that position for 26
years, retiring in 1922. She then devoted full time to her studies of
and writings on classical literature. Her first book, 1930's "The Greek
Way", was a collection of her articles and other writings on the
subject of Greek literature. She wrote several books on both Greek and
Roman literature, all of which were critical and financial successes.
She also wrote books on Israel in the time of Christ. She visited
Greece in 1957 at the age of 90, and was made an honorary citizen of
Athens by the Greek government because of her devotion to and
furtherance of Greek literature.
She died in Washington, DC, on May 31, 1963.
She died in Washington, DC, on May 31, 1963.
