William Linn Westermann (September 15, 1873 – October 4, 1954) was an American historian and

papyrologist Papyrology is the study of manuscripts of ancient literature, correspondence, legal archives, etc., preserved on portable media from antiquity, the most common form of which is papyrus, the principal writing material in the ancient civilizations ...

who served as the president of the

American Historical Association The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world, claiming over 10,000 members. Founded in 1884, AHA works to protect academic free ...

in 1944. He was regarded as an expert on the economy of the ancient world.

Career

Westermann was born in

Belleville, Illinois Belleville is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. It is a southeastern suburb of St. Louis. The population was 42,404 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the most populated city in the Me ...

, and attended the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

and

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

. He taught at the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

from 1902 to 1906, then left for the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. In 1908, Westermann joined the faculty of the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

. He spent twelve years of his academic career in Wisconsin, moving to

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

in 1920. He was appointed professor of

ancient history Ancient history is a time period from the History of writing, beginning of writing and recorded human history through late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian language, ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

on March 5, 1923. During his tenure at Columbia, Westermann acquired a large collection of

Ancient Egyptian Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

papyri Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, ''Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'' or ''papyruses'') can ...

for the institution. His scholarly reputation rests on his book Slave Systems of Greek and Roman Antiquity, published posthumously in 1955. His most prominent pupil was Moses I. Finley, arguably the most influential ancient historian in the world from he 1960s to the 1980s and still an inspiration. Westermann retired in 1948 to become a visiting professor at the

University of Alexandria Alexandria University () is a public university in Alexandria, Egypt. It was established in 1938 as a satellite of Fouad University (the name of which was later changed to Cairo University), becoming an independent entity in 1942. It was known as ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. For more on Westermann's scholarly life see above all the article devoted to him in the American National Biography XXIII (1999), by W. V. Harris. Westermann was appointed to the

American Commission to Negotiate Peace The American Commission to Negotiate Peace, successor to The Inquiry, participated in the peace negotiations at the Treaty of Versailles from January 18 to December 9, 1919. Frank Lyon Polk headed the commission in late 1919. The peace conferen ...

as specialist on questions relating to

Western Asia West Asia (also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia) is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian ...

. He advised President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

on Greek and Turkish events at the

Paris Peace Conference of 1919 Paris () is the capital and largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the fourth-most populous city in the European Union and the 30th most densely popul ...

. He was a member of the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome, Italy. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History 19th century In 1893, a group of American architect ...

's Broad of Trustees from 1922 to 1933. He was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1944.

Personal life

Westermann, a descendant of

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

and

Sharon Tyndale Sharon Tyndale (January 19, 1816 – April 29, 1871) was an American politician and designer who was the Illinois Secretary of State, Secretary of State of Illinois, from 1865 to 1869. His tenure is notable for his redesign of the Seal of Ill ...

, died at White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York on October 4, 1954. His wife, Avrina Davies Westermann, whom he married on June 15, 1912, died on December 21, 1960. They had one son, Evan Davies Westermann, (1914–1991) who attended the Scarsdale public schools,

Phillips Exeter Academy Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...

, graduated from

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 ...

, and worked for the New York Department of Commerce. He married Virginia Woodworth on August 4, 1942, and had two children.

References

External links

*
William Linn Westermann papers, ca. 1930–1954
at the Columbia University Library.
William Linn Westermann, Correspondence, 1918–1919
at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Library
William Linn Westermann's presidential address and picture
at the American Historical Association {{DEFAULTSORT:Westermanm, William Linn 1873 births 1954 deaths People from Belleville, Illinois 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers Presidents of the American Historical Association University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni University of Missouri faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty Cornell University faculty Columbia University faculty University of Minnesota faculty American papyrologists American people of English descent 20th-century American male writers American expatriates in the German Empire Members of the American Philosophical Society