Dates

• Existence: 1878-1953

Biography

John Hubert Scott (1878-1953) received his B.A. in 1902, from Boston University and his M.A. from Northwestern in 1907. Scott was the head of the Department of English at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for seven years beginning in 1908. He joined the faculty of the English department at the University of Iowa in 1915. He was appointed associate professor in 1926 and in 1949 was awarded emeritus status.   Scott's years at the University of Iowa were spent teaching and researching voice rhythms and phrasing patterns, which he claimed could be used to prove literary authorship. This research utilized principles from both English and engineering and Scott occupied a unique place between the two departments at the University of Iowa. Scott published two papers, Rhythmic Prose (1925) and Rhythmic Verse (1925), and two books on the topic, Engineering English (1928) and Phrasal Patterns in English Prose (1932). Several of his extensive manuscripts survive which never saw publication. Scott was interested in using these theories to study, among other things, William Henry Ireland and the Shakespeare forgeries. In 1934 Scott traveled to England where he lived for one year researching the works of various authors and applying his theories of phrasal patterns. Scott was a serious collector of Irelandiana and belonged to several university and community organizations, including the Humanist Society and the Triangle Club, both of which he was president of for a time.

Citation:

Author: A. Neville, November 2005

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