Hermann Eduard von Holst
Encyclopedia
Hermann Eduard von Holst (June 19, 1841 – January 20, 1904) was a German-American historian
.
born at Fellin (Viljandi)
in Russian
Livonia
. He was the seventh of ten children of a Lutheran minister. His father died while he was in the gymnasium
and von Holst only managed to stay in school by teaching and frugal living.
He studied history at the universities of Dorpat (Tartu)
and Heidelberg, receiving his doctor's degree
from the latter in 1865. In 1866, he settled in St. Petersburg, but in consequence of a pamphlet on an attempt on the life of the emperor, which he published at Leipzig
while travelling abroad, his return to Russia
was forbidden.
He decided to emigrate to the United States
in July of the same year, 1867. He settled in New York City
, where he taught modern languages for a time in a small private school and made a number of political speeches in the Presidential campaign of 1868
. In the autumn of 1869, he became assistant editor, under Alexander J. Schem, of the Deutsch-Amerikanisches Conversations-Lexicon. His German work on Louis XIV, Federzeichnung aus der Geschichte des Despotismus, appeared in Leipsig soon after he arrived in the United States. He subsequently became a contributor to several American journals.
On April 23, 1872 in Manhattan
, New York
, he married Annie Isabelle Hatt, the daughter of the Rev. Josiah Hatt (1821–1857), pastor of the Baptist Church in Hoboken, New Jersey
, and his wife, Mary Thomas. Their son Hermann V. von Holst
, the future architect, was born in Freiburg in 1874.
A call to a professorship of
history in the newly reorganized University of Strasbourg
brought him back to Germany in 1872. In 1874, he
was given the chair of modern history at University of Freiburg
in Baden
where he stayed until 1892. For ten years he was a member of the Baden Herrenhaus, and vice-president for four. He revisited the United States in 1878-79 and in 1884, and in 1892 he became head of the department of history at the University of Chicago
. Retiring on account of ill-health in 1900, he returned to Germany and died at Freiburg in January 1904.
Von Holst's works are almost all on American topics. Both through his books and through his lectures at the University of Chicago, he exerted a powerful influence in encouraging American students to follow more closely the German methods of historical research.
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 race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
.
Biography
Holst was a Baltic GermanBaltic German
The Baltic Germans were mostly ethnically German inhabitants of the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which today form the countries of Estonia and Latvia. The Baltic German population never made up more than 10% of the total. They formed the social, commercial, political and cultural élite in...
born at Fellin (Viljandi)
Viljandi
Viljandi is a town and municipality in southern Estonia with a population of 19,150 . It is the capital of Viljandi County. The town was first mentioned in 1283, upon being granted its town charter by Wilhelm von Endorpe....
in Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
Livonia
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
. He was the seventh of ten children of a Lutheran minister. His father died while he was in the gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
and von Holst only managed to stay in school by teaching and frugal living.
He studied history at the universities of Dorpat (Tartu)
University of Tartu
The University of Tartu is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. University of Tartu is the national university of Estonia; it is the biggest and highest-ranked university in Estonia...
and Heidelberg, receiving his doctor's degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from the latter in 1865. In 1866, he settled in St. Petersburg, but in consequence of a pamphlet on an attempt on the life of the emperor, which he published at Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
while travelling abroad, his return to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
was forbidden.
He decided to emigrate to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in July of the same year, 1867. He settled in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he taught modern languages for a time in a small private school and made a number of political speeches in the Presidential campaign of 1868
United States presidential election, 1868
The United States presidential election of 1868 was the first presidential election to take place after the American Civil War, during the period referred to as Reconstruction...
. In the autumn of 1869, he became assistant editor, under Alexander J. Schem, of the Deutsch-Amerikanisches Conversations-Lexicon. His German work on Louis XIV, Federzeichnung aus der Geschichte des Despotismus, appeared in Leipsig soon after he arrived in the United States. He subsequently became a contributor to several American journals.
On April 23, 1872 in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, he married Annie Isabelle Hatt, the daughter of the Rev. Josiah Hatt (1821–1857), pastor of the Baptist Church in Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
, and his wife, Mary Thomas. Their son Hermann V. von Holst
Hermann V. von Holst
Hermann V. von Holst was an American architect practicing in Chicago, Illinois and Boca Raton, Florida, from the 1890s through the 1940s, best remembered for agreeing to take on the responsibility of heading up Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural practice when Wright went off to Europe with Mamah...
, the future architect, was born in Freiburg in 1874.
A call to a professorship of
history in the newly reorganized University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
brought him back to Germany in 1872. In 1874, he
was given the chair of modern history at University of Freiburg
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
in Baden
Grand Duchy of Baden
The Grand Duchy of Baden was a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918.-History:...
where he stayed until 1892. For ten years he was a member of the Baden Herrenhaus, and vice-president for four. He revisited the United States in 1878-79 and in 1884, and in 1892 he became head of the department of history at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. Retiring on account of ill-health in 1900, he returned to Germany and died at Freiburg in January 1904.
Von Holst's works are almost all on American topics. Both through his books and through his lectures at the University of Chicago, he exerted a powerful influence in encouraging American students to follow more closely the German methods of historical research.
Works
- Verfassung und Demokratie der Vereinigten Staaten or Constitutional and Political History of the United States (German ed., 5 vols., 1873–91; English trans. by Lalor and Mason, 8 vols., 1877–92) This is his principal work. It covers the period from 1783 to 1861, though more than half of it is devoted to the decade 1850-60. It is written from a strongly anti-slavery point of view.
- Das Staatrecht der Vereinigten Staaten or The Constitutional Law of the United States of America (German ed., 1885; English trans., 1887)
- John C. Calhoun (1882), in the American Statesmen Series
- John Brown (1888)
- The French Revolution Tested by Mirabeau's Career (1894) The topic of this book was the subject of a series of twelve lectures he gave for the Lowell InstituteLowell InstituteThe Lowell Institute is an educational foundation in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., providing for free public lectures, and endowed by the bequest of $250,000 left by John Lowell, Jr., who died in 1836. Under the terms of his will 10% of the net income was to be added to the principal, which in...
's 1893-94 season.