Claim: Nathaniel Schmidt held a doctorate in Hebrew letters and went on to teach language at Cornell.
Evidence: The Jewish Institute of Religion conferred a doctorate of Hebrew letters upon him in 1931. Schmidt was also full professor of Semitic Languages and Literature in Hamilton Theological Seminary. Schmidt later held the same position at Cornell University (1896–1932) for thirty-six years. 
Nathaniel Schmidt took up the teaching of Hebrew at Cornell in 1896, thirty years after the University committed to the teaching of subjects related to the Near East. The Jewish Institute of Religion conferred a doctorate of Hebrew letters upon him in 1931. Hebrew (עִבְרִית‎, Ivrit (help·), IPA: [ivˈʁit or [ʕivˈɾit) is a Northwest Semitic language native to Israel.