Hillhouse, James Theodore, 1890-1956

James Theodore Hillhouse was born on February 7, 1890 in Willamantic, Connecticut. He earned his B.A. degree in 1911, M.A. in 1912 and Ph.D. in 1914, all from Yale College (now Yale University). He joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota in 1914 as an instructor in the department of rhetoric; four years later rhetoric merged into the department of English. Dr. Hillhouse was promoted to assistant professor in 1918, association professor in 1936 and professor in 1945. In 1948, he was appointed as associate chair of the department of English and held this position until his death on December 10, 1956.

Mildred Lambert Hillhouse was an instructor in the English department before she married James Hillhouse. After her marriage, Mildred Hillhouse corresponded with former colleagues, including Mary Ellen Chase, who received her Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Minnesota and taught in the English department for eight years before accepting a position at Smith College (Northampton, Massachusetts).