Born in Boston, he graduated from Harvard in 1877. In 1880 was appointed Instructor in English there. He was Assistant Professor of English from 1888 to 1898, and a Professor of English from 1898 to 1917.

He was a trustee of the Boston Athenaeum, a member of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1916. He received honorary degrees from Harvard, Columbia University, and Strasbourg. He died in Boston.

References

• Staff report (February 9, 1921). BARRETT WENDELL OF HARVARD DEAD; Professor of English Literature for 37 Years Succumbs in His Boston Home at 66. NOTED LECTURER-AUTHOR One of the Most Brilliant Research Men in Letters--Became Professor Emeritus in 1917. New York Times

External links

• http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~nnnotables/zbawe.html Barrett Wendell genealogy chart]