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Windsor, Edward, Duke of, 1894-1972

  • Person
  • 1894-1972

Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor, was born on June 23, 1894, at White Lodge, Richmond, Surrey, England, the first son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, later King George V and Queen Mary.

Edward was King of the United Kingdom, from January 20, 1936, until December 11, 1936. As the future king, he was given the forenames Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David. Within the family, he was always known as David. Initially educated at home, he was sent to the naval college at Osborne in 1907 and, in 1909, he went to the Royal Naval College on HMS Britannia at Dartmouth. He began his naval career, serving as a midshipman in the Hindustan. Edward was officially invested as Prince of Wales in a ceremony at Caernarvon Castle on July 13, 1911. In 1912, he graduated from Magdalen College, Oxford. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, he was keen to participate. He gained a pilot's licence and undertook a military flight in 1918. In the 1920s, Edward represented his father, King George V, at home and abroad. He disliked his royal duties, but his charisma made him popular with the British people. George V was disappointed by his son’s failure to settle down in life and was furious with his many affairs with married women. When King George V died on January 20, 1936, Edward became King Edward VIII. He was involved with a twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson (1896-1986) since 1934. Not serious about his work as a king, he spent August and September sailing around the Mediterranean on a luxury steam yacht with Wallis. In November 1936, he expressed his plans to marry Wallis Simpson to the British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, who informed him it was morally unacceptable because remarriage after divorce was opposed by the Church of England, of which Edward was the formal head. As a result, Edward chose to abdicate on December 11, 1936 and married Wallis in June 1937. His brother, Prince Albert, Duke of York, became King George VI. After his abdication, Edward was given the title Duke of Windsor. The Duke and Duchess visited Nazi Germany against the advice of the British government, and they met Adolf Hitler at his private retreat. After the war, they became celebrities, hosted parties and lived between Paris and New York.

He died on May 28, 1972, in Paris, France.

Winchell, Alexander, 1824-1891

  • n 85828861
  • Person
  • 1824-1891

Alexander Winchell was born on December 31, 1824, in North East, Dutchess County, New York.

He was a geologist, educator, and author. He graduated from the Wesleyan University, Connecticut, in 1847. He taught at various schools in New Jersey, New York, and Alabama. He served as president of the Masonic University at Selma, Alabama, in 1853. In 1854, Winchell was appointed Professor of Physics and Civil Engineering at the University of Michigan, eventually becoming Professor of Geology and Paleontology. In 1859, he was appointed as State Geologist of Michigan. In 1863, he got a lease on a cotton plantation near Vicksburg, Mississippi, and organized the Ann Arbor Cotton Company. In 1864, he returned to Michigan and in 1865, he was elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society. In 1872, he was appointed chancellor of Syracuse University, New York, but resigned in 1874. In 1875, he served as a Professor of Geology and Zoology at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee. There, his controversial views on evolution diverged from Biblical teaching (“inferiority of Negro”) and expressed in his book “Adamites and Preadamites: Or, A Popular Discussion” (1878), were not acceptable to the University administration. Winchell was obligated to resign in 1878. He then returned to the University of Michigan, where he was a Professor of Geology and Paleontology. In 1888, he founded the American Geological Society and The American Geologist.

In 1849, he married Julia Frances Lines (1825–1920). He died on February 19, 1891, in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Michigan.

WIM

Wiltshire, Thomas, 1826-1902

  • Person
  • 1826-1902

Thomas Wiltshire was born on April 21, 1826, in London, England.

He was a British clergyman, geologist, and paleontologist. He graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge (B.A., 1850; M.A., 1853), was ordained a deacon in 1850 and priest in 1853. During his studies, he developed a life-long interest in geology. In 1856, Wiltshire was elected a Fellow of the Geological Society of London. He served as President of the Geological Association three times (1859, 1862, 1871-1873). In 1863, he was elected Secretary of the Paleontographical Society, an office he held until 1899. From 1874 to 1878, he was one of the Honorary Secretaries of the Geological Society. He acted as Lecturer in Geology (1872-1881) and Assistant Professor (1881-1889) at King's College. In 1890, he was appointed Professor of Geology and Mineralogy at King’s College, a position he held until 1896. In 1888, he became Master of the Clothworkers Company in London. The University of Cambridge conferred upon him an honorary degree of D.Sc. in 1899. He spent several of his summer vacations visiting Yellowstone Park, USA, and the Rocky Mountains in Canada. He donated his collection of minerals to the Mineralogical Museum in Cambridge. Besides being much occupied in scientific pursuits and geological investigations, Rev. Dr. Wiltshire was devoted to clerical work, lecturing, and writing.

In 1850, he married Sarah Harriet Hudson (1826–1905). He died on October 26, 1902, in London, England.

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