H. G. Merriam

Harold Guy Merriam (September 6, 1883 – March 26, 1980) was an American literary critic and professor of literature. A Rhodes Scholar, he was a founder and editor of literary magazines and an anthropologist of regional writing.

Early education Merriam was born in Westminster, Massachusetts. He graduated from Denver (Colorado) High School in June 1902, and entered the University of Wyoming where he majored in science and the classics. He received his BA from Wyoming in 1905. In 1904 he was chosen to be a member of the first group of Rhodes Scholars. He attended Lincoln College, Oxford University, where he was enrolled in the honors school in English language and literature. He was awarded a BA from Oxford in 1907 and an MA in 1912.

Career Merriam taught at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, from 1908 to 1910. In the fall of 1910, he enrolled at Harvard University as an Austin Fellow. Merriam left Harvard, where he studied drama, after the fall term to teach at Beloit College in Wisconsin, where he remained until 1913. He then taught at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, until 1919. During World War I, Merriam took a leave of absence from his teaching career and went with YMCA to France, where he taught English to French officers. After the Armistice he was transferred to London, where he assisted American officers and enlisted men in entering British universities.

From 1907 to 1919, the University of Montana had no Rhodes Scholars. Merriam became very active in the program; with his encouragement, sixteen University of Montana students went to Oxford between 1919 and 1970. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the program and served many years on its regional and local committees.

In 1933, in addition to his duties as chairman of the English department, Merriam was appointed chairman of the Division of Humanities, a new concept in University administration. He continued carrying the two assignments until his retirement in 1954. In December 1935, Merriam was appointed state supervisor of the Federal Writers' Project. His efforts culminated in the publication of Montana, A State Guide Book in 1939. He also took leave from the University of Montana in 1939 to teach at the University of Oregon in Eugene, and earned his Ph.D. in English from Columbia University.

Personal life Merriam married Doris W. Foote in 1915 and they had two children: Alan and Alison. After Doris's death in 1970, he married Frances Dummer Logan in 1974. Merriam died in Missoula, Montana, on March 26, 1980, at the age of 96.