author
Victor Alvin Ketcham
1883–1947
Best known for a practical early-20th-century guide to debate, this Ohio State University teacher wrote for readers who wanted argument to be clear, orderly, and useful. His work still feels recognizable today for its focus on evidence, structure, and persuasive speaking.
1 Audiobook
The theory and practice of argumentation and debate
by Victor Alvin Ketcham
About the author
Victor Alvin Ketcham was an American writer and teacher remembered chiefly for The Theory and Practice of Argumentation and Debate, published in 1914. The book presents argument not as abstract theory alone, but as a craft that can be practiced in speaking and writing.
The title page of that work identifies him as a B.A., LL.B. and an assistant professor at The Ohio State University. In the book's prefatory material, dated Columbus, Ohio, February 1, 1914, he also thanks Professor Raymond M. Alden for reading much of the manuscript and offering suggestions.
Public-domain library records and memorial listings place his life from 1883 to 1947. Beyond those basic facts, readily confirmed biographical detail appears limited, but his surviving work shows a strong interest in teaching people how to build sound arguments and debate them effectively.