Churchill, William, 1859-1920

Biographical Note: William Churchill, philologist, ethnologist, and writer, was born in 1859.

After graduating from Yale in 1892, he taught school for a year and then left for the South Sea Islands where he engaged in scientific exploration. He was appointed United States consul-general to Samoa (1896-1899) where he pursued his interest in philology and ethnology. Churchill studied the Polynesian languages and collected data which formed the basis of "Polynesian Wanderings" published in 1910. Churchill had some interest in African cultures as well. Churchill was an editor of "The Sun" in New York city, 1902-1915. In 1915, he became an associate at the Carnegie Institution. During World War I, he served on the Committee on Public Information. William Churchill died in 1920.

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