New-York tribune., 1920-06-11
William Churchill.
Noted as Expert on
Philology, Is Dead
Former Consul General and
Author Helped to RecI,art
South Seas and Proved
Speech Among Monkeys

WASHINGTON, June 10. William
Churchill, one Of the leading philolog-
lcal experts il: the country, at one time
connected with the United States Coast
end Geodetic Survey and Consul Cen
eral TO Samoa in 1896 under President
Cleveland's Administration, died yes
terday in the Garfield Hospital after
an illness OF more than a year For
more than thirteen years he was
member Of the staff of "The New York
Sun"
Mr.. Churchill was born in Brooklyn
IN 1859 and was graduated from Yale
University in 1882. His interest in
languages first showed itself in his
student days in college. Shortly after
leaving. college he went to South Amer
lea and to Africa with exploring ex-
petitions. While in the jungle he
studied the speech OF monkeys and
proved hat they Communicated with
one another by means of sounds corre-
spending to our own speech.
Helped Rechart South Seas
He was a member of an expedition
to the South Seas to rechart the islands
there for the United States govern
ment.
While Consul General TO Samoa Mr..
Churchill was the judge of the Con-
sular Court, with exclusive jurisdic-
ton over Americans, and was senior
member of the consular board in the
execution Of the Berlin general act.
He was instrumental in helpinr to
unearth Getmany's designs in the
South Seas. 1t came to his knowledge
that cases of Mauser rifles billed for
transshipment to South America had
been held in Samoa by order of the
German consulate With his British
associate, Mr.. Churchill prevailed upon
the German consul to send the arms
out of Samoa and out of the reach of
the natives.
While in the South Seas Mr..
Churchill was the close friend Of
Robert Louis Stevenson
Mr.. Churchill went to Tonga as Con-
sui General in 1897, and remained there
until 1899
Served in War Censorship Bureau
In 1902 he Joined the staff of The
new York Sun" as writer of edi-
tor1als on scientific matters. He
worked steadily on his philologicai
books, and sent the manuscripts to the
carnegie Institute at Washington for
publication. In 1915 he Joined the. in
stltut1on as research associate in
primitive philology. When the United
States entered the war his knowledge
OF Languages led TO his appointment as
head of the foreign language news di-
vision of the Censorship Bureau.
At the close Of the war Mr. Churchill
was engaged by the Belgian govern
ment on some special work. He was
widely known on the Continent, and in
London, in scientific circles.
He was spending member of
the Hawaiian Historical Society and
the Polynesian Society, a member Of
the American Pathological Association.
a fellow of the Royal Anthropological
Society of Great Britain. correspond
ing member of the American Geograph-
ical Society, member of the Associa-
tion OF American Geographers and OF
the Institute Suisse d'Anthropologie
Generate.
He was the author of numerous
works, both fiction and scientific,
among which are "a Princess of Fiji"
"Polynesian Wanderings," Tracks Of
the Migration,' "Beach-la-M Mar" The
Jargon of Trade Speech" and others.
He was a contributor .the New In
ternational Encyclopedias, and was one
of the editors of the New Standard
Dictionary. He also published many
monogra phs, which have been read be-
fore scientific societies here and
abroad