Henry Drisler (December 27, 1818 – November 30, 1897) was an American classical scholar.

Life

He was born in Richmond County, New York. Drisler graduated at Columbia College in 1839, taught classics in the Columbia grammar school for four years, and was then appointed tutor in classics in the college. In 1845 he became adjunct professor of

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

and Greek there, in 1857 was appointed to the new separate chair of Latin language and literature, and ten years later succeeded Dr. Charles Anthon as Jay Professor of Greek Language and Literature. He was acting president in 1867 and again in 1888 to 1889. From 1890 to his retirement as professor emeritus in 1894, he was dean of the School of Arts, as the undergraduate division of Columbia was known at the time. (For this reason, some scholars consider him, and not John Howard Van Amringe, to have been the first dean of Columbia College.) He died in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1897. Dr. Drisler completed and supplemented Dr. Anthon's labors as an editor of classical texts. His criticisms and corrections of Liddell and Scott's ''

A Greek–English Lexicon ''A Greek–English Lexicon'', often referred to as ''Liddell & Scott'' () or ''Liddell–Scott–Jones'' (''LSJ''), is a standard lexicographical work of the Ancient Greek language originally edited by Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, H ...

'', of which he produced American editions beginning in 1846. He revised and augmented the seventh edition (1883) for an American one (1889) which won his name a place on the title-page of the eighth British edition in 1897. In 1870 he published a revised and enlarged edition of Yonge's English-Greek Lexicon. His revisions are also part of the history of the work that is currently available as Lewis and Short's ''

A Latin Dictionary ''A Latin Dictionary'' (or ''Harpers' Latin Dictionary'', often referred to as Lewis and Short or L&S) is a popular English-language lexicographical work of the Latin language, published by Harper and Brothers of New York in 1879 and printed ...

''. Dr. Drisler ardently opposed

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

. In 1863, he wrote a brilliant refutation of Episcopal Bishop John Henry Hopkins' book th
''Bible View of Slavery by John H. Hopkins, D. D., Bishop of the Diocese of Vermont: Examined by Henry Drisler.''
The refutation relied completely on the Bible and displayed Dr. Drisler's wide range of scholarship.

References

;Attribution *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Drisler, Henry 1818 births 1897 deaths American classical scholars Columbia College (New York) alumni Classical scholars of Columbia University American classical philologists Presidents of Columbia University 19th-century American lexicographers