President of the Archaeological Institute of America, professor at the University of Michigan from 1889 to 1927, and president of the American Philological Association, Francis Kelsey was crucially involved in the founding or growth of major educational institutions. He came to maturity in a period of great technological change in communications, transportation, and manufacturing. Kelsey took full advantage of such innovations in his ceaseless drive to promote education for all, to further the expansion of knowledge, and to champion the benefits of the study of antiquity.

A vigorous traveler around the United States, Europe, and the Mediterranean, Kelsey strongly believed in the value of personally viewing sites ancient and modern and collecting artifacts that could be used by the new museums and universities that were springing up in the United States. This collecting habit put him in touch with major financiers of the day, including Charles Freer, Andrew Carnegie, and J. P. Morgan, as he sought their help for important projects.

Drawing heavily on Kelsey's daily diaries now held at the University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library, John Griffiths Pedley gives us a biography that records the wide-ranging activities of a gifted and energetic scholar whose achievements mirrored the creative and contributive innovations of his contemporary Americans.

John Griffiths Pedley is Emeritus Professor of Classical Archaeology and Greek at the University of Michigan and past Director of the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology.  He is the author of numerous books, on topics as varied as Greek sanctuaries, Sardis, Greek sculpture, and South Italian archaeology and architecture.

"...this biography is an important record of a visionary man who happened to live in a critical moment in the study of classics in America."
—Pablo Alvarez, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"The book will find a broad and appreciative audience, from veterans of his university's programs in classical studies, classical archaeology, and history of art, to all those interested in Kelsey's and the university's prominent role in the development of American higher education and cultural life at large; and it will hold much appeal for an international public with interests in 20th-c. cultural history across a broad European and Mediterranean swath of regions that were touched by the vision and talens of Francis W. Kelsey."
—Steven E. Ostrow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Journal of Roman Archaeology

"Anyone interested in the study of classical Latin authors, archaeology, or museums will also be impressed by Kelsey's vision, values, work ethic, and enthusiasm."
—Christine Drewel, Grand Valley State University, The Michigan Historical Review