GREENOUGH, James Bradstreet. Portland, Maine 4.5.1833 — Cambridge, MA 11.10.1901. U.S. Classical Scholar and Linguist interested in Sanskrit. Professor at Harvard. Son of James Greenough (1802–1885) and his wife Catharine, the family moved soon to Boston. After Boston Latin School graduated A.B. in 1856 from Harvard College. Studied one year at Harvard Law School. Practised law in Marshall, Mich. In 1864 visited Europe. Then taught at Harvard: 1865-73 as Tutor of Latin, 1873-83 as Assistant Professor and from 1883 as Professor of Latin. Retired barely six weeks before his death. Married 1860 Mary Battey Ketchum (1834–1893), two sons, and 1895 Harriet Sweetser Jenks.

The works of Bopp and Schleicher made Greenough also interested in Sanskrit, and he was the first to teach Sanskrit at Harvard, until Lanman was nominated in 1880. His study of Latin subjunctive was an important pioneer work. At Harvard he also advocated the admission of women to the university.

Publications: Analysis of Latin Subjunctive. 36 p. Cambridge MA 1870; with J. H. Allen: A Latin Grammar: founded on comparative grammar. 11+329 p. Boston 1872.

– Edited Latin school-authors: Caesar, Cicero, Vergilius, Horatius, Livius, Ovidius, Sallustius.

– Wrote poems and plays in English and in Latin.

Sources: Ch.B. Gulick, Dict. of Am. Biography 7, 588f.; *G.L. Kittredge, Harvard Studies in Classical Philology 14, 1903, 1-17 with bibliography and photo; Who Was Who in Am. 1; family in ancestors.familysearch.org; Wikipedia with photo.