The Oxford English Dictionary is an amazing and quintessential tool for users of the English language. But most people don’t know about its darker side. One of the best contributors to the Oxford English Dictionary was a man named Dr. William Chester Minor. Minor had a brilliant mind, but he also had his troubles.
A Darker History
Minor was a troubled American War Civil War surgeon who no doubt came back with mental scars. His story shows off both his genius and his madness, which led him to a gruesome crime and being condemned to an asylum.
Dr. William Chester Minor
Minor was born in what is now modern-day Sri Lanka. When the time came for many American citizens to don uniforms and play a role in the American Civil War, Minor joined the Union Army as a surgeon. Here is where he would have witnessed countless traumas.
Mental Health Deterioration
The experiences that Minor had during the war would affect his mental state considerably. In 1872, he moved to London, where his mental health continued to decline rapidly. This is where Minor’s psyche would break, and he’d have a paranoid delusion that would result in a man’s death.
Committed
Minor would end up losing his sanity and fatally wounding a man named George Merrett, believing him to be some kind of personal tormentor. During his trial, it was evident that he was unfit to go to prison, and he was instead committed to Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum.
The Oxford Dictionary
During Minor’s trials and tribulations, the Oxford English Dictionary was well into development. It was a massive undertaking of finding and cataloging every word spoken in the English language. Many academics volunteered to aid in the project.
A Devoted Contributor
The Oxford English Dictionary’s editor, Dr. James Murray, had no idea that one of the most dedicated contributors to the project was Dr. William Chester Minor, who was already residing in the walls of the asylum to which he was committed.
A Genius Intellect
Despite Minor’s questionable psyche, he still possessed a genius intellect which houses a vast library of knowledge, including the understanding of English words and their meaning. In his personal time at the asylum, Minor researched words and provided definitions, etymologies, and even illustrative quotations. Minor’s devotion to the project was immense, and he’d spend many hours each day compiling entries for the dictionary. His contributions were so impressive that Dr. Murray assumed that Minor was a university professor. He helped write thousands of entries for the project.
An Unlikely Friendship
Dr. Murray recognized a brilliant mind when he saw one, and he decided to reach out and meet Minor. Dr. Murray was taken aback when he learned that his best contributor was locked up in an insane asylum because of a murder. Despite this, Dr. Murray still met Minor, and an unlikely friendship sparked. Murray could see through Minor’s madness and how much value he brought to the Oxford English Dictionary efforts. He would frequently visit Minor at the asylum, where they would have engaging chats. Despite his illness, Minor spent two decades contributing his genius to the dictionary.
Genius And Madness
Dr. William Chester Minor shows the relationship between genius and madness, brilliance and eccentricity. His story is one of trauma and tragedy, followed by one of purpose and redemption. His legacy still lives in the Oxford English Dictionary today. Minor was released from the asylum in 1910 and was deported back to America by Winston Churchill. Minor spent the last ten years of his life in and out of local mental facilities, including St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington D.C. This is where he was first diagnosed with schizophrenia. He passed away in Hartford, Connecticut, where he passed away on March 26, 1920.
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