Wilbur Henry Siebert (1866-1961)

From the Ohio Historical Society

Wilbur Henry Siebert (1866-1961), a distinguished scholar and historian, was born in Columbus, Ohio. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ohio State University (OSU) in 1888. In 1889 and 1890, respectively, he received a second bachelor's degree and a master's degree in history from Harvard University. Siebert traveled to Germany to study history and philosophy at the universities of Freiburg (Baden) and Berlin.

After returning to Ohio in 1891, Siebert began his long career at OSU when he accepted a position as assistant instructor in history and political science. By 1893, Siebert was awarded an assistant professorship in history and was actively collecting material on the Underground Railroad with his students. In 1895, Siebert took a sabbatical and returned to Harvard for advanced study on the anti-slavery movement. Three years later, Siebert's first book on the anti-slavery movement, The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom, was published. In 1902, Siebert was promoted to professor of European history. He advanced to the position of research professor of history in 1925. Siebert retired and assumed the rank of professor emeritus in 1935. Siebert also held administrative positions at OSU. He served as secretary of the university faculty (1902-1906), acting dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (1911-1912, 1927-1928, and 1935-1936), and acting dean of the Graduate School (1917-1918).

Siebert is best known for his work on the Underground Railroad. He began teaching history at OSU in 1891. Finding that students in his American history classes “were inclined to be restless and inattentive, [he] decided to arouse their interest over a mysterious and romantic subject that was rich in adventure.” With his students, Siebert pursued this research topic for the rest of his career and into retirement. At age 80 Siebert took an office at the Ohio State Museum, where he wrote his final book, The Mysteries of Ohio's Underground Railroads (1951).