professor of Germanic language, b. Dresden, Germany. He graduated from the Univ. of Leipsig (Ph.D., 1888). In 1889 he migrated to the U.S., and from 1889 to 1901 was professor of Germanic languages and dean of the academic department at Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, Tenn. In 1901 he came to the Univ. of Wisconsin as professor of Germanic languages, and in 1904 was appointed chairman of the German department, holding this position until his retirement in 1936. Under Hohlfeld's leadership the German House was opened, the first residence center in any modern-language field at a U.S. university. He was also instrumental in pioneering the use of visual aids, in increasing the number of modern-language courses in the philological and literary fields, and in initiating a program for the study of Anglo-American-German literary relationships. An authority on Goethe's poetry and philosophy, Hohlfeld wrote several books and delivered numerous addresses and lectures on this subject. After retiring to emeritus status in 1936, he continued to write and lecture on Goethe and Germanic language and culture. His last book, Fifty Years with Goethe, was published in 1953. Who's Who in Amer., 26 (1950); M. Curti and V. Carstensen, Univ. of Wis. (2 vols., Madison, 1949); Madison Wis. State Journal, Apr. 19, 1956; Univ. of Wis. Faculty Memorial, Document 1228, June 4, 1956 (on file in office of secretary of the faculty).

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the Alexander Rudolf Hohlfeld Papers for details.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]