Talk:Wellington R. Burt

quantifies a quality
Anon editor, please explain what you mean by "quantifies a quality"? There is nothing wrong with saying he was among the eight wealthiest men in America, it's perfectly acceptable grammar, cited to a reliable source, highly notable and fully quoted. Please don't remove it again until you've provided an explanation, just saying "quantifies a quality" is meaningless. Saying that someone is among the top 8 (or 10) wealthiest in a country is notable and significant, it's not a "quality", it's an objective mathematical fact. Green Cardamom (talk) 02:33, 12 May 2011 (UTC)

$100 million
It's unclear how $40 and $90 million in 1919 could be only $100 million 92 years later, but that's what the sources say. I remember reading somewhere the heirs were questioning estate performance, so perhaps this will become public later, perhaps not. Green Cardamom (talk) 06:30, 14 May 2011 (UTC)

Death by senility
His death cert. says he died of 'senility'. That sounds strange. My initial reaction is suicide, given his isolation and odd behavior with the will. Does anyone have any thoughts if doctors covered up suicides with coded diagnosis back in the day? Green Cardamom (talk) 06:34, 14 May 2011 (UTC)


 * It might have been coded, but it is not required to explain the death. Even Altzheimer's can directly lead to involuntary life-threatening behaviours. - Tenebris —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.254.156.170 (talk) 05:51, 19 May 2011 (UTC)

Senator-elect

 * Burt was a politician, holding the offices of Mayor of East Saginaw (1867–68) and member-elect of the Michigan Senate (1893–94).

The suffix –elect normally applies to someone who has been elected but not yet taken office (e.g., B.Obama between November 2008 and the following January 20). Seeing this near the top of the article, I took it to mean that Burt died (or resigned or was disqualified) during that interval, but no, the article says elsewhere that he did hold office (and lived long afterward).

Then I thought, maybe in Michigan at the time not all Senators were directly elected, and some were identified as members-elect to distinguish them from members appointed. A bit farfetched, but not impossible, so I raise the question here before boldly removing –elect. —Tamfang (talk) 09:02, 9 May 2012 (UTC)


 * No you are correct it is in error. Thanks. Green Cardamom (talk) 16:01, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

"senility"

 * ... he officially died of "senility" at age 87.

Did senility mean dementia back then, or old age in general? —Tamfang (talk) 07:12, 9 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Previous discussion about it above. Green Cardamom (talk) 16:07, 9 June 2012 (UTC)


 * ...consisting of conjecture which does not address the question. —Tamfang (talk) 16:28, 9 June 2012 (UTC)


 * Reading the Wikipedia article on dementia, it says dementia was called senility which was considered a normal aging process and not a disease. But it was applied to psychosis of mental illness. So, as far as we know he could have died of anything - a heart attack, suicide by insanity, actual dementia - it could be anything, it's conjecture to discuss the actual cause of death because the term was so broadly used. Green Cardamom (talk) 17:21, 9 June 2012 (UTC)

College attended
The current version of the article says that he attended Albion College first and then "Michigan Central College, now Adrian College." This is incorrect; Michigan Central College was the predecessor to Hillsdale College, not Adrian College. The source article, besides being an outdated link, is incorrect in that area, and any history account of Hillsdale College can confirm that. Can someone please make this change? (I don't know how it works with sourcing and all that.) What led me here is a short obituary from the Hillsdale Collegian (Hillsdale College student newspaper) from March 13, 1919. It may or may not be useful as a source to cite: http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Search&Key=HDC/1919/03/13/1/Ar00106.xml&CollName=HDC_APA3&DOCID=29989&PageLabelPrint=1&skin=%48%69%6c%6c%73%64%61%6c%65&AW=%31%34%35%36%36%38%31%34%39%36%38%37%36&sPublication=%48%44%43&sScopeID=%44%52&sSorting=%49%73%73%75%65%44%61%74%65%49%44%2c%61%73%63&sQuery=%73%74%75%64%65%6e%74%20%63%6f%75%6e%63%69%6c&rEntityType=&sSearchInAll=%74%72%75%65&sDateFrom=%25%33%30%25%33%31%25%32%66%25%33%30%25%33%31%25%32%66%25%33%31%25%33%39%25%33%31%25%33%37&sDateTo=%25%33%30%25%33%37%25%32%66%25%33%32%25%33%30%25%32%66%25%33%32%25%33%30%25%33%31%25%33%36&RefineQueryView=&StartFrom=%36%30&ViewMode=GIF If anybody could help with this, that would be great. Thanks a lot. 195.64.79.61 (talk) 21:58, 20 July 2016 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the note. It is fixed. -- Green  C  23:38, 20 July 2016 (UTC)