Haskins, Charles Homer

Haskins, Charles Homer

(1870–1937) medievalist, historian; born in Meadville, Pa. One of the leading medievalists of his generation, he shed light on Norman contributions to medieval English government and on the impact of Greek and Arabic scientific materials on Western Europe. A noted teacher, as well as scholar, he taught longest at Harvard University (1902–28). During World War I he was a member of "the Inquiry," where he provided intelligence on Germany and later participated in the Paris Peace Conference (1918–19). A progressively severe case of paralysis agitans forced him to retire from teaching (1931).

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.