The Henry Charles Lea Professorship in History was established in 1928 through the estate of Nina Lea in memory of her father, Henry Charles Lea (1825-1909), a noted Philadelphia historian, publisher, activist and civic reformer. His career as a historian spanned over half a century, during which time he published ten books and many articles on subjects including church history in the later Middle Ages; institutional, legal, and ecclesiastical history; magic and witchcraft; and the history of the Italian city-states.