Silas Marcus MacVane (Macvane) (June 4, 1842 – January 19, 1914) was a Canadian-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 ...

and economist. He was the

McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History The McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History is a senior professorship at Harvard University. It was endowed by the will of wealthy merchant John McLean. The first McLean Professor was Jared Sparks who held the chair between 1838 and 1849; he ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

starting in 1887. He was a professor of economics at Harvard from 1873 to 1878 and a professor of history from 1887 to 1911. MacVane was born in the town of

Bothwell Bothwell () is a Protected area, conservation village in the South Lanarkshire council area of Scotland and part of the Greater Glasgow area. It lies on the north bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Uddingston and Hamilton, Scotland, Hamilton, ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

. He received his undergraduate degree from

Acadia College Acadia University is a public, predominantly undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondar ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

in 1865. From 1865 until 1870 he taught at a school in Nova Scotia, then studied at

in 1871-1873 under

Henry Adams Henry Brooks Adams (February 16, 1838 – March 27, 1918) was an American historian and a member of the Adams political family, descended from two U.S. presidents. As a young Harvard graduate, he served as secretary to his father, Charles Fran ...

, who instilled in him a love for scientific history. He joined the faculty of Harvard in 1873 in the department of

political economy Political or comparative economy is a branch of political science and economics studying economic systems (e.g. Marketplace, markets and national economies) and their governance by political systems (e.g. law, institutions, and government). Wi ...

, but transferred to the history department in 1878. MacVane's main focus of study was modern political history of both the United States and European countries. He was a frequent contributor to ''

The Quarterly Journal of Economics ''The Quarterly Journal of Economics'' is a Peer review, peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Oxford University Press for the Harvard University Department of Economics. Its current editors-in-chief are Robert J. Barro, Lawrence F. Kat ...

''. One of his most popular books was ''Working Principles of Political Economy'' (1890; 4th ed., 1897). Both Presidents Roosevelt have been attending History course by Professor MacVane at Harvard. MacVane was the father of Dorothea Alastair MacVane. He died in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in 1914, shortly before the start of

WWI World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting took place mainly in Europe and th ...

References

Sources

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (born Lawrence Joshua Chamberlain, September 8, 1828February 24, 1914) was an American college professor and politician from Maine who volunteered during the American Civil War to join the Union Army. He became a highl ...

, John de Witt and John Howard Van Amringe.''Universities and Their Sons: History, Influence and Characteristics of American Universities, with Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Alumni and Recipients of Honorary Degrees'' (R. Herndon Company, 1899), p. 18.
Jan. 17, 1911 article from ''Harvard Crimson'' on MacVane's resignation
{{DEFAULTSORT:MacVane, Silas 1842 births Canadian emigrants to the United States American historians 1914 deaths Harvard University alumni Harvard University Department of History faculty