Francis James Child (February 1, 1825 – September 11, 1896) was an
American scholar, educator, and
folklorist, best known today for his collection of
folk songs known as the
Child Ballads. Child was Boylston professor of rhetoric and oratory at
Harvard University, where he produced influential editions of English poetry. In 1876 he was named Harvard's first Professor of English, a position which allowed him to focus on academic research. It was during this time that he began work on the Child Ballads.