William Lyon Phelps

The son of a Baptist minister, Phelps is notable for offering the first university course on the modern novel. After obtaining his Ph.D. in 1891, he taught at Harvard for a year, before taking a position at Yale in 1892, where he remained until his retirement in 1933. Phelps was such a good speaker that he was the most popular instructor at Yale. He married the heiress Annabel Hubbard, but had no children. Phelps was very athletic, playing baseball, lawn tennis and golf in particular. As a lecturer, Phelps was much sought-out, and sometimes a thousand people would come to hear his sermons. He died in 1943, at the age of 78.