David Herbert Donald

David Herbert Donald
Born October 1, 1920
Goodman, Mississippi
Died May 17, 2009(2009-05-17) (aged 88)
Boston, Massachusetts
Nationality American
Occupation Historian, Harvard University
Known for Two Pulitzer Prizes for biography, and 1995 biography of Abraham Lincoln

David Herbert Donald (October 1, 1920 – May 17, 2009) was an American historian, best known for his acclaimed 1995 biography of Abraham Lincoln. He twice won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography for earlier works; he published more than 30 books on United States political and literary figures and the history of the American South.

Early life and education

David Herbert Donald was born in Goodman, Mississippi, a town in the center of Holmes County. The county's western border is formed by the Yazoo River and it is part of the Mississippi-Yazoo Delta.

Career

Majoring in history and sociology, Donald earned his bachelor's degree from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi.[1] He earned his PhD in 1946[1] under the eminent, leading Lincoln scholar, James G. Randall at the University of Illinois. Randall as a mentor influenced Donald's life and career. He encouraged his protégé to write his dissertation on Abraham Lincoln's law partner, William Herndon. Donald adapted and published the dissertation as his first book, Lincoln's Herndon (1948).[1][2]

After completing his doctorate, Donald taught at Columbia University, Johns Hopkins and, from 1973, Harvard University. He also taught at Smith College, the University of North Wales, Princeton University, University College London and served as Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford University. At Johns Hopkins, Columbia, and Harvard he trained dozens of graduate students, including Jean H. Baker, William J. Cooper, Jr., Michael Holt, Irwin Unger, and Ari Hoogenboom.

Donald served as president of the Southern Historical Association. Donald also served on the editorial board for the Papers of Abraham Lincoln.[3]

Donald was the Charles Warren Professor of American History (emeritus from 1991) at Harvard University. He wrote more than thirty books, including well-received biographies of Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Wolfe and Charles Sumner. He specialized in the American Civil War and Reconstruction periods, and in the history of the American South.

Legacy and honors

Donald received the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography twice, in 1961 for Charles Sumner and the Coming of the Civil War and in 1988 for Look Homeward: A Life of Thomas Wolfe. He also received several honorary degrees.

David Herbert Donald was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State’s highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 2008 in the area of Communications and Education. [4]

Works

In his introduction, Carl Sandburg, the poet and Lincoln biographer, hailed Donald's first book as the answer to scholars' prayers: "When is someone going to do the life of Bill Herndon. Isn't it about time? Now the question is out."

David M. Potter, known as a Lincoln scholar, said Donald's biography of Charles Sumner portrayed, "Sumner as a man with acute psychological inadequacies" and exposed Sumner's "facade of pompous rectitude." Donald's evenhanded approach to Sumner, Potter concluded, was a model for biographers working with a difficult subject. "If it does not make Sumner attractive [the book] certainly makes him understandable."[5]

Donald argues that the American Civil War was a needless war caused or hastened by the fanaticism of people like Charles Sumner; he admires Abraham Lincoln.[6]

Personal

Donald lived in Lincoln, Massachusetts, with his wife Aida DiPace Donald, who is also a historian and author.[2] He died of heart failure in Boston on May 17, 2009.[1] Donald is survived by his wife, his son Bruce Donald and two daughters.[2]

Books

Sources

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Famed Lincoln Scholar David Herbert Donald Dies National Public Radio
  2. 1 2 3 Grimes, William. "David Herbert Donald, Writer on Lincoln, Dies at 88", The New York Times, May 19, 2009. Accessed 19 May 2009.
  3. ↑ "Meet Our Editorial Board" (PDF). Lincoln Editor: Quarterly Newsletter of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln, July–September 2001, p. 3.
  4. ↑ "Laureates by Year - The Lincoln Academy of Illinois". The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
  5. ↑ Robert Allen Rutland, "David Herbert Donald," in Robert Allen Rutland, ed. Clio's Favorites: Leading Historians of the United States, 1945-2000, U of Missouri Press. (2000) pg 41
  6. ↑ Robert Allen Rutland, "David Herbert Donald," in Clio's Favorites, pp 35–48
  7. ↑ Donald, David Herbert (1989-03-01). Lincoln's Herndon: A Biography. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0306803534.
  8. ↑ "Google Books". books.google.com. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
  9. ↑ Chase, Salmon P. (2011-10-01). Inside Lincoln's Cabinet: The Civil War Diaries of Salmon P. Chase. Literary Licensing, LLC. ISBN 9781258108342.
  10. ↑ Donald, David Herbert (2001-01-01). Lincoln Reconsidered: Essays on the Civil War Era. Vintage Books. ISBN 9780375725326.
  11. ↑ Donald, David Herbert (2009-03-01). Charles Sumner and the Coming of the Civil War. Sourcebooks, Inc. ISBN 9781402227196.
  12. ↑ DONALD, J. G. RANDALL, DAVID HERBERT (1969-01-01). THE CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION.
  13. ↑ Commager, Henry Steele; Donald, David Herbert (1996-11-05). Why the North Won the Civil War. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780684825069.
  14. ↑ "Search Results - Harvard University Press". www.hup.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
  15. ↑ Donald, David Herbert (1999-06-01). The Politics of Reconstruction, 1863-1867. iUniverse. ISBN 9781583484418.
  16. ↑ Donald, David Herbert (1970-01-01). Charles Sumner and the rights of man. Knopf.
  17. ↑ "Search Results - Harvard University Press". www.hup.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
  18. ↑ Donald, David Herbert (1996-11-05). Lincoln. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780684825359.
  19. ↑ Donald, David Herbert (2003-11-04). Lincoln at Home: Two Glimpses of Abraham Lincoln's Family Life. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780743211420.
  20. ↑ Donald, David Herbert (2003-01-01). "We are Lincoln Men": Abraham Lincoln and His Friends. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9780743254687.

External links

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