Talk:John Winthrop (educator)

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Myths About John Winthrop

Most of the above. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.238.11.143 (talk) 21:07, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

Care to clarify? Praemonitus (talk) 03:45, 28 May 2021 (UTC)

I am not sure if the original comment "most of the above" was referring to the lack of citation in the "Career" section, but it is correct. John Winthrop was not all that influential or even knowledgeable. When he suddenly replaced long time professor Nathan Prince in 1738, he apparently knew little of math or science. He was, however, the great, great grandson of Governor Winthrop, which was apparently enough to land him a job without any qualifications. The claims made that "Winthrop was one of the foremost men of science in America during the 18th century, and his impact on its early advance in New England was particularly significant" is doubtful and uncited That Benjamin Franklin "owed much" of his early interest in scientific research to his influence is doubtful and uncited. Also, that "he was one of the first American intellectuals to be taken seriously in Europe" is uncited and incorrect. The first honorary doctorate degrees were given out by Oxford and Cambridge in 1723 in Divinity to the Rev. Timothy Cutler, and master’s were given to the Rev. Samuel Johnson. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Harrycroswell (talk • contribs) 14:47, 12 June 2023 (UTC)

Influence on Rumford

C. R. Adams, "Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford" The Scientific Monthly, 1950 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/20202) - "... he and Loammi Baldwin used to walk occasionally to Cambridge to attend lectures by Professor Winthrop on natural philosophy ..."

C. C. Converse, "Thompson, In Connecticut" The Massachusetts Magazine, 1914 Vol. 7 (https://archive.org/details/massachusettsmag1914sale/page/n11/mode/2up?view=theater)

Woburn Historical Commission "The Life and Legend of Count Rumford" 1975 (http://www.middlesexcanal.org/docs/rumford.htm) - "These skills later won him the right, along with friend and neighbor Loammi Baldwin (regarded by many as America’s first engineer), to attend Professor John Winthrop’s lectures on science at Harvard." jmswtlk (talk) 00:49, 18 September 2022 (UTC)