Cody, Sherwin, 1868-1959

Alpheus Sherwin Cody (November 30, 1868-April 4, 1959) was an American writer and entrepreneur who developed a long-running home-study course in speaking and writing and a signature series of advertisements asking "Do You Make These Mistakes in English?" A critic of traditional English education, Cody advocated colloquial style and grammar. His course, presented in a patented workbook format which he described as "self-correcting," was purchased by over 150,000 students from its inception in 1918. He published essays, books and articles virtually nonstop from 1893 through 1950. As an Amherst undergraduate, he studied with Professor John Franklin Genung and worked as a secretary to President Julius Hawley Seelye. He was the father of Morrill Cody (AC 1921).

From the guide to the Sherwin Cody (AC 1889) Correspondence, 1893-1916, (Amherst College Archives and Special Collections)