John White Webster
John White Webster (born May 20, 1793 in Boston , Massachusetts ; † August 30, 1850 there ) was an American scholar ( medic , chemist , mineralogist ), Harvard professor and executed murderer.
Life
Webster earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard University in 1811 and an MD in medicine in 1815 . He continued his medical training at Guy's Hospital Medical School in London and other stations in England.
After returning to the United States, Webster initially worked as a doctor in Boston. In 1823 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . In 1824 he took a lectureship in chemistry, mineralogy and geology at Harvard University , in 1827 he took over the chair of chemistry and mineralogy there as the successor to John Gorham .
Webster has a report on the Azores island of Sabrina , which existed only briefly in 1811 . He published a work on the Azores island of São Miguel in 1821 and a chemistry handbook in 1826. Webster was one of the editors of the Boston Journal of Philosophy and Arts from 1823 to 1826 (together with John Ware and Daniel Treadwell ) and published Liebig's Organic Chemistry by Lyon Playfair in 1841 .
Webster was charged with murdering physician and businessman George Parkman on November 23, 1849 in a dispute over money Webster owed him. Webster is said to have dismantled the body and partially burned it. However, the remains could be identified on the basis of dentures that had not been destroyed. Webster finally confessed to the fact and was sentenced to death in a high-profile trial - the victim and accused belonged to the Boston upper class - and hanged on August 30, 1850 .
Webster had been married to Harriet Fredrica Hickling since 1818. The couple had four daughters.
literature
- Robert L. Gale: Webster, John White . In: American National Biography .
- Webster, John White . In: FS Drake: Dictionary of American Biography , 1870.
- Webster, John White . In: Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography , 1888.
- Webster, John White . In: BJ Lossing: Harper's Encylopaedia of United States History , 1902.
- Webster, John White . In: HA Kelly, WL Burrage: Dictionary of American Medical Biography , 1928.
- Webster, John White . In: JR Nash: Bloodletters and Badmen , 1973.
- Webster, John White . In: JHH Gaute, R. Odell: The Murderers' Who's Who , 1980.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Book of Members 1780 – present, Chapter W. (PDF; 852 kB) In: American Academy of Arts and Sciences (amacad.org). Retrieved March 14, 2020 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Webster, John White |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Webster, John W. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American scholar and executed murderer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 20, 1793 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Boston , Massachusetts |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 30, 1850 |
| Place of death | Boston , Massachusetts |