Albright, William Foxwell, 1891-1971

William Foxwell Albright was an Orientalist, archaeologist, and linguist. After receiving his Ph.D. from John Hopkins in 1916, he took a professorship there in 1927, and then served as the W. W. Spence Professor of Semitic Languages, 1930-1958. As the Director of the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem, 1922-1929 and then 1933-1936, he accomplished important archaeological work and excavated at the , excavating, for example, at such significant sites in Palestine as Gibeah (Tell el-Fûl, 1922) and Tell Beit Mirsim (1933-1936). In addition, Albright contributed to the the interpretation of the Qumrân, or Dead Sea, scrolls.

Albright held many prestigious significant organizational positions, such as the presidency of: Palestinian Exploration Society (1921-1922, 1934-1935); American Oriental Society (1935-1936); Socierature (1938-39); and the International Organization of Old Testament Scholars (1956-1957). He also served on various committees of the American Philosophical Society, in particular the Research Committee.

William Foxwell Albright (May 24, 1891– September 19, 1971) was an American archaeologist, biblical scholar, philologist, and expert on ceramics. He is considered "one of the twentieth century's most influential American biblical scholars",[17] having become known to the public in 1948 for his role in the authentication of the Dead Sea Scrolls.[18] His scholarly reputation arose as a leading theorist and practitioner of biblical archaeology.

Biography
Albright was born on May 24, 1891, in Coquimbo, Chile,[19] the eldest of six children of the American Evangelical Methodist missionaries Wilbur Finley Albright and Cornish-American Zephine Viola Foxwell.[20] Albright was an alumnus of Upper Iowa University.[21] He married Ruth Norton (1892–1979)[citation needed] in 1921[22] and had four sons. He received his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1916 and accepted a professorship there in 1927. Albright was W. W. Spence Professor of Semitic Languages from 1930 until his retirement in 1958. He was the Director of the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem from 1922–1929, and 1933–1936, and did important archaeological work at sites in Palestine such as Gibeah (Tell el-Fûl, 1922) and Tell Beit Mirsim (1926, 1928, 1930, and 1932).[23] Albright became known to the public in 1948 for his role in the authentication of the Dead Sea Scrolls,[24]