Capps was born in
Jacksonville,
Illinois on December 21, 1866. He would go on to graduate from
Illinois College in 1887 and later receive a
PhD from
Yale in 1891. In 1890 Capps was appointed tutor at Yale. As a scholar he was noted for his productivity and received praises from individuals such as
Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff for his work on
classical philology. He also had a notable friendship with President
Woodrow Wilson, which helped him gain international prominence, aided even more so by his role as the editor of the first volumes of the
Loeb Classical Library. Capps would also make a name for himself serving on the managing committee of the
American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA) from 1908 to 1950, during which he acted as chair between 1919 and 1939. These efforts saw the school's
endowment increase significantly and earned Capps the nickname of the 'second founder' of the school. Capps also served as
Envoy Extraordinary and
Minister Plenipotentiary to both
Greece and
Montenegro on behalf of the
United States in 1920 at the behest of his friend President Wilson. He was elected to the
American Philosophical Society that same year. During the fallout of the
Greco-Turkish War, Capps would make a name for himself as a
humanitarian by aiding the
Greek refugees. Using his position as the
American Red Cross Commissioner to Greece and his rank as a
colonel, his efforts would see success and result in the Greek government awarding him both the
Order of the Redeemer and the
Medal of Military Merit. Capps died on August 21, 1950, in
Princeton,
New Jersey. == Legacy ==