George Frederick Holmes

George Frederick Holmes (1820 – November 4, 1897), emigrated to the United States where he taught history and literature and became the first Chancellor of the University of Mississippi (from 1848 to 1849). From 1857 until his death, Holmes taught literature, history and political economy at the University of Virginia and became known for textbooks designed for use in schools in the southern United States. Early life and education George Frederick Holmes was born in 1820 in British Guyana, either in its capital Georgetown or the surrounding Demerera region. In 1836, he attended the University of Durham in England, but left for Quebec in 1837 without taking a degree. Career In 1838, Holmes emigrated to the United States and taught in Caroline County, Virginia. He moved to Macon, Georgia, where in addition to teaching, he began to study law. In 1840, Holmes moved to South Carolina where he taught first in Walterboro, then in Orangeburg. Holmes also continued to study law and was admitted to the South Carolina bar in 1842, but did not practice as a lawyer for any significant period. Instead, he resumed his teaching career.