CHISHOLM, HUGH (1866-1924), editor of the Encyclo pedia Britannica, was born in London on Feb. 22, 1866. He was of Scottish descent, the son of Henry Chisholm, who became warden of the standards in the Board of Trade. Educated at Felsted school and Corpus Christi college, Oxford, of which he was a scholar, he graduated in 1888 with a first class in literae humaniores. He then read for the bar, being called at the Middle Temple in 1892, but occupied himself also with occasional jour nalism and finally adopted that profession. From 1892 to 1897 he was assistant editor, and from 1897 to the end of 1899 editor, of the St. James's Gazette, and during these years he also con tributed numerous articles on political, financial and literary sub jects to the weekly journals and monthly reviews, becoming known as a literary critic and Conservative publicist.
On resigning the editorship of the St. James's, he became a leader writer for The Standard, and later, in 1900, was invited to join The Times, under whose management he acted as the re sponsible co-editor, with Sir Donald Mackenzie Wallace and Presi dent A. T. Hadley of Yale university, of the new volumes, con stituting the tenth edition (1902), of the Encyclopedia Britan nica, becoming in 1903 editor-in-chief of the I I th edition. Throughout his editorship he worked in close co-operation with Horace Everett Hooper, publisher of the Encyclopcedia Britan nica, and manager of its sales and publicity. The alliance between the two men, based on mutual respect and confidence, was a very close one and productive of happy results, H. E. Hooper supply ing the business ability and Hugh Chisholm the scholarship. Under his editorship the I I th edition of the Britannica appeared in 1910-I I.
Rejoining The Times in 1913 as day editor, he became finan cial editor at the end of that year, and occupied this responsible position all through the momentous period of the World War, resigning his connection with The Times in March 1920, in order to reassume the editorship of the Encyclopedia Britannica and to organize the publication of the new volumes constituting the 12th edition.
As editor of the Encyclopedia Britannica Chisholm displayed remarkable ability. His gift for organization, combined with his wide range of knowledge, enabled him to scheme out a subject, or an article, sometimes better than the expert whom he was invit ing to write on it. He had an unusual power of visualizing the right arrangement of details, and his letters to contributors, writ ten always in his own hand, were practically a synopsis of the contents of the Encyclopedia. In politics he was a tariff reformer with clear and definite views. In literature, his taste was catholic and his judgment sound. As financial editor of The Times, Chis holm displayed great courage and remarkable quickness in grasp ing the financial situation. Bringing a fresh mind to bear upon the intricacies of the money market, he wrote with lucidity and authority, and contributed in no small degree to the maintenance of a high standard in financial journalism. His point of view was always that of a true patriot, and both privately and pub licly he rendered very valuable services to the State in connec tion with the raising of the various war loans.
He died in London on Sept. 29, 1924. In 1893 Chisholm married E. Beatrix Harrison, of Ardkeen, County Down, Ireland, and had three sons. (J. E. C.)