Beatrice Fry Hyslop (10 April 1899 – 23 July 1973) was an American

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

of France.

Life and work

Beatrice Fry Hyslop was born at home in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

on 10 April 1899 to

James H. Hyslop James Hervey Hyslop, Ph.D., LL.D, (August 18, 1854 – June 17, 1920) was an American psychical researcher, psychologist, and professor of ethics and logic at Columbia University. He was one of the first American psychologists to connect ...

, professor of philosophy and ethics at Columbia College and founder of the

American Society for Psychical Research The American Society for Psychical Research (ASPR) is the oldest psychical research organization in the United States dedicated to parapsychology. Until recently, it maintained offices and a library in New York City that were open to members and ...

. Her mother, Mary Fry (Hall) Hyslop, daughter of a wealthy Philadelphia merchant, was a pianist. She died when Beatrice was 18 months old. Beatrice attended the Barnard School for Girls (founded in 1889) from 1912 to 1915, before graduating from Mount Holyoke College in 1919 as a

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

with a double major in history and art. Hyslop taught at a private school for two years before starting graduate school at Columbia University. She received her A.M. in 1924 and taught at Rosemary Hall and Mount Holyoke for the next four years. Hyslop started work on her Ph.D. at Columbia in 1928 and she was commissioned by the French Government to catalog a list of grievances drawn up during the election of the

Estates General of 1789 The Estates General of 1789 () was a general assembly representing the French estates of the realm: the clergy (First Estate), the nobility (Second Estate), and the commoners (Third Estate). It was the last of the Estates General of the Kingdom ...

(''cahiers de doléances''), spending three years in France on the project. In recognition of her work, she was made a ''Chevalier'' of the

Ordre des Palmes Académiques A suite, in Western classical music, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes; and grew in scope so that by the early 17th century it comprised up to ...

. Her doctoral thesis published in 1933 as ''Répertoire critique des cahiers de doléances pour les Etats-généreaux de 1789''. Hyslop was awarded her Ph.D. the next year and she published ''French Nationalism in 1789 According to the General Cahiers''. She also returned to the United States that year and taught at a private school for a year before she was hired as a history instructor at

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...

in 1936. That same year she published ''A Guide to the General Cahiers''. Hyslop became an

assistant professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...

in 1941, an

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

eight years later and a full professor in 1954. In the meantime, she had been upgraded to ''Officier'' rank in the ''Ordre des Palmes Académiques'' in 1952. Hyslop founded the

Society for French Historical Studies The Society for French Historical Studies (SFHS) is, along with the Western Society for French History (WSFH), one of the two primary historical societies devoted to the study of French history headquartered in the United States. The SFHS edits ...

in 1955 and later served as its president. In 1961 she became a ''Chevalier de la

Légion d’Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

''. She published ''L’Apanage de Philippe-Egalité, duc d’Orléans, 1785–1791''. She retired in 1969 from Hunter College and was a co-author of ''The Napoleonic Era in Europe'' the following year. Hyslop died on 23 July 1973 of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

.Scanlon & Cosner, page 117

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hyslop, Beatrice Fry 1899 births 1973 deaths 20th-century American historians 20th-century American women writers Hunter College faculty Mount Holyoke College alumni American women historians Historians of France Knights of the Legion of Honour Mount Holyoke College faculty Chevaliers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques American high school teachers