Edward T. (Edward Tompkins) McLaughlin

Born in Sharon, Connecticut, on May 28, 1860, Edward Tompkins McLaughlin studied at Yale and went on to build his career there. He held a Douglas Fellowship in 1883–84, then served as a tutor in English before becoming an assistant professor of English language and literature.

McLaughlin is remembered for writing Studies in Mediæval Life and Literature and for editing Literary Criticism for Students. His essays focus on the human side of medieval writing, exploring subjects like nature, childhood, and social life in a way that still feels approachable.

His career was brief: he died of typhoid fever in 1893, only a few weeks after becoming professor of rhetoric and belles-lettres at Yale. Even so, his posthumous reputation endured, and his name remained connected with the study and teaching of English at Yale.