# Francis March

## Biography

Francis Andrew March, born October 25, 1825, in Millbury, Massachusetts, was a pioneering American language scholar, lexicographer, and philologist. After graduating as valedictorian from Amherst College in 1845, he pursued legal studies before dedicating his life to academia. March is widely recognized as the principal founder of modern comparative Anglo-Saxon (Old English) linguistics. In 1857, he became the first individual in the United States or Europe to hold the title of Professor of English Language and Literature, a position he held at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, for over fifty years. His monumental work, "A Comparative Grammar of the Anglo-Saxon Language" (1870), laid a crucial cornerstone for historical studies of English. March also directed American contributions to the Oxford English Dictionary and was a staunch advocate for spelling reform. He passed away on September 9, 1911, leaving a lasting legacy in the field of linguistics.

## Books

- [History  of the World War: An Authentic Narrative of the World's Greatest War](https://samolit.com/books/96156)