francis macdonald cornford, fba (27 february 1874 &ndash; 3 january 1943) was an english classical scholar and poet; because of the similarity of his forename and his wife's, he was known to family as "fmc" and his wife frances as "fcc". he was educated at st paul's school and trinity college, cambridge, where he was a fellow from 1899 and held a teaching post from 1902. he became laurence professor of ancient philosophy in 1931 and was elected a fellow of the british academy in 1937. his work thucydides mythistoricus (1907) argued that thucydides' history of the peloponnesian war was informed by thucydides' tragic view. from religion to philosophy: a study in the origins of western speculation (1912) sought out the deep religious and social categories and concepts that informed the achievements of the early greek philosophers. he returned to this theme in principium sapientiae: the origins of greek philosophical thought (posthumously published, 1952). his microcosmographia academica (1908) was the classic insider's satire on academic politics. it is the source of a number of catchphrases, such as the doctrine of unripeness of time, the principle of the wedge, and principle of the dangerous precedent.peter wilby pass the sickbag, alice new statesman 30 april 2009slavery was theft: we should pay new statesman 10 september 2001 in 1909 he married the poet frances darwin, daughter of sir francis darwin and ellen wordsworth darwin, nÃ©e crofts, and a granddaughter of charles darwin. they had five children: * helena (1913â1994), married joseph l. hendersonhttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/us/04henderson.html?_r=0 in 1934. *john (1915â1936), poet and communist who was killed in the spanish civil war. *christopher (1917â1993), artist and writer * clare, the mother of matthew chapman * hugh wordsworth (1921â1997), medical doctorflora bridge Â· barrie alfred ernest chapman Â· amiya kumar chatterjee Â· hugh wordsworth cornford... - europe pmc article - europe pubmed central he was cremated at cambridge crematorium on 6 january 1943: his remains are presumed to be buried with his wife and father-in-law, with her father francis darwin in the ascension parish burial ground, cambridge. ==notes==  ==references== *oxford dictionary of national biography, cornford, francis macdonald (1874â1943), classical scholar b
1874_births 1943_deaths Alumni_of_Trinity_College,_Cambridge DarwinaWedgwood_family English_classical_scholars Fellows_of_Trinity_College,_Cambridge Fellows_of_the_British_Academy Members_of_the_University_of_Cambridge_faculty_of_classics People_educated_at_St_Paul\'s_School,_London Scholars_of_ancient_Greek_philosophy