Biographical Sketch
Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve(1831-1924),
who was probably America's greatest classical scholar, was
born in Charleston, South Carolina on October 23, 1831. He was
the second of seven children of Benjamin Gildersleeve
(1791-1875), a prominent Presbyterian minister, and Emma
Louisa Lanneau (1805-59). His early education was provided by
his father and was steeped in the study of Latin, Greek, and
the classics. He began his formal schooling at the College of
Charleston and later enrolled at Princeton from where, in 1849
at age 17, he graduated fourth in a class of seventy-nine.
In 1850, Gildersleeve traveled to Germany to pursue more
intensive classical studies in Berlin, Bonn, and at Gottingen
University from which he received a Ph.D. (1853). Returning
home to Richmond, he engaged in several literary and
journalistic activities until his election in 1856 to a
professorship at the
University of Virginiawhere he would
spend the next twenty years teaching Greek and Latin. During
this period, while convalescing from a Civil War battle wound,
he met and later married Elizabeth Fisher Colston (1846-1930);
they raised two children, Raleigh Colston (1869-1944) and Emma
Louise (1872-1954).
In 1875, Gildersleeve left pastoral Charlottesville for
Baltimore to serve as the first faculty appointment and Greek
chair at the newly established Johns Hopkins University.
During a 40 year tenure at Hopkins, he achieved worldwide
academic distinction as a classical scholar, renown as a
master of Greek syntax, and recognition as a major contributor
to the "university" system in American education. He founded
the
American Journal of Philologyin 1880 and raised it to international influence by
the force of his written contributions and editorship; he was
elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters and
later to the American Academy of Arts and Letters; he served
twice as president of the American Philological Association;
and, in 1905, was the first American to receive a doctorate of
letters from both Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
Gildersleeve continued in academic work until his
retirement in 1915 at age 83. He died on January 9, 1924 and
is buried in University Cemetery in Charlottesville,
Virginia.
Scope and Content
The collection contains ca. 860 items (2.5 shelf feet) and
consists primarily of a variety of keepsakes and memorabilia
that reflect on the life and work of Gildersleeve and that
appear to have been personally gathered and saved by him and
by
Elizabethand, in later years, by his daughter,
Emma(Mrs.
Gardiner M. Lane) and his granddaughter,
Katharine Lane Weems. The scattered
assortment of letters, notes, diaries, books, reprints,
newsclips, published articles, obituaries, photographs,
diplomas, mementoes, and other memorabilia that make up the
collection have been arranged in four groupings:
Correspondence--A large portion
of the correspondence consists of personal letters and poetic
notes that Gildersleeve wrote to his wife over the span of
their married life. The remaining correspondence includes a
handful of letters to him from friends and colleagues and a
miscellaneous group of letters that are addressed to other
family members. Noteworthy are: an 1866
Robert E. Leeautographed letter inviting
Gildersleeve and Elizabeth to be his house guests at
Lexington, Virginia(see: Correspondent
Letters--to
Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve); a letter
written in cuneiform script by JHU Professor
Paul Haupthonoring Gildersleeve on his
70th birthday (see: Correspondent Letters--to
Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve); several
colleague letters that are affixed, together with some of his
published articles, in an annotated album that Gildersleeve
has entitled "Sargasso--On Weeds from the Atlantic" (see:
Diaries/Notebooks--
Basil Lanneau Gildersleeveannotated
album); and two groups of acknowledgement letters (26 items
and 67 items respectively) from recipients of the publication:
Selections from the Brief Mention of Basil Lanneau
Gildersleevewhich was distributed originally in the 1930s by
Gildersleeve's daughter to some of his former colleagues,
friends, and pupils (see: Correspondent Letters --to other
family members) and then again in the 1960s by his
granddaughter to university and college libraries throughout
the world (see: Correspondent Letters --Katharine L.
Weems).
Writings--Included in this group
are several of Gildersleeve's published articles contained in
periodicals that were very likely part of his private
collection and that bear his autograph and marginalia. The
unpublished papers, together with the diaries and notebooks
that make up the balance of this group, are an accumulation of
bits and pieces of written material, most of which appear to
be in Gildersleeve's hand. Those that are not, along with some
typewritten drafts, are of unknown authorship. Although not
voluminous, the items in this group represent a vivid sampling
of Gildersleeve's writing style over a period of some 75
years. Included are poems he wrote in 1848 as a 16 year old
student, travel notes he made during his first and only trip
to Greece in 1896, and poetry he composed for his wife in
1923, shortly before his death.
Commentary--The collection of
newspaper and published articles gives an indication of the
esteem in which Gildersleeve was held by scholars and
commentators from around the world.
Miscellaneous--Most of the
material in this group consists of keepsake items and
mementoes that may have held special meaning for Gildersleeve
as well as for his wife, daughter and granddaughter. Of
special note among Gildersleeve's personal keepsakes are
ancient Greek coins from the period ca. 400-336 B.C. and his
grandfather Finch's Continental Army Commission that bears a
John Jay autograph. Also included in this group are a
collection of family photographs and some miscellaneous
genealogical material relating to the Gildersleeve and Colston
family lineage. Oversized material (30 items) consisting of
several large photographic prints, diplomas, academic
certificates, and a blueprint drawing have been relocated to
an oversized storage box.