Ruth Bradley Holmes

Edith Frances Ruth Bradley Holmes (November 26, 1924 – September 2, 2021) was an American linguist, educator, and polyglot who authored two Cherokee language textbooks. Holmes served on the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education from 1975 to 1985. She taught Russian language at Louisiana State University and Russian and Cherokee language adult education courses in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Early life Edith Frances Ruth Bradley was born on November 26, 1924, in Beijing to Edith Louise Grierson and Hugh Wise Bradley. She had a brother, Ian Henri Cairns Bradley. Her father was commissioner of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service. She was raised in China before moving to California in 1938. Holmes, a polyglot, was fluent in English, Russian, Portuguese, and French and proficient in German, Greek, Latin, and Spanish.