Jay Broadus Hubbell

Jay Broadus Hubbell (May 8, 1885 – February 13, 1979) was an American academic who specialized in the literature of the Southern United States.

Born in Virginia, he studied at Richmond College and Harvard University before beginning his teaching career. He taught at Southern Methodist University for several years and at Duke University for almost thirty years. Hubbell served as editor of several journals and was the founding editor of the MLA-affiliated American Literature.

Early life and education Jay Broadus Hubbell was born in Smyth County, Virginia, on May 8, 1885. His mother was Ruth Eller Hubbell and his father was David Shelton Hubbell,

Hubbell received his undergraduate degree from Richmond College (later University of Richmond) in 1905.

Modern Language Association Hubbell was an early member of the American Literature section of the Modern Language Association (MLA), serving as its chairman from 1924 until 1927.

Hubbell served on the executive council of the MLA from 1947 to 1949, being elected its vice president in 1951.

Hubbell continued to publish books after his retirement in 1961, releasing the essay collection South and Southwest in 1965 and Who Are the Major American Writers? in 1972.

Hubbell's published works also include a memoir of his wife and a history of the Yates Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina.

Personal life While teaching at SMU in the 1910s, Hubbell met Lucinda Smith: she had been studying his course on English literature. The pair married in 1918 and had two sons (Jay Jr. and David Smith).

Death and legacy Hubbell died on February 13, 1979. He was 93 years old.

In 1967, Hubbell received a Festschrift of 23 essays titled Essays in American Literature in Honor of Jay B. Hubbell. In 1976, his former colleagues at Duke University founded the Jay B. Hubbell Center for American Literary Historiography, a depository of papers by scholars in the field of American literature.

In his obituary of Hubbell, Rayburn S. Moore described him as "a pioneer in the scholarly study of American literature".

Awards and honors Jay B. Hubbell Medallion from the Modern Language Association's American Literature section (1964) Festschrift (1967) Honorary degree from Southern Methodist University Honorary degree from University of Richmond Honorary degree from Clemson University