Dexter Perkins
Encyclopedia
Dexter Perkins was one of the most prominent authorities on United States History and served as Professor
and Chairman of the Department of American History at the University of Rochester
.
. Dr. Perkins was also the John L. Senior
Professor of American Civilization at Cornell University
from 1954 to 1959. He was a former visiting professor at the University of London
and Cambridge University. Perkins was the official U.S. historian at the 1945 San Francisco Security Conference that preceded the organization of the United Nations
. From 1950-1951, he served as the first president of the Salzburg Global Seminar, a non-profit organization
based in Salzburg
, Austria
whose mission is to challenge current and future leaders to develop creative ideas for solving global problems. As president of the American Historical Association
in 1956, he delivered an address that emphasized the importance of teaching alongside scholarly research at universities. His son Bradford
is a notable historian in his own right.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and Chairman of the Department of American History at the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
.
Biography
He received his A.B. (1909) and PhD. (1914) from Harvard University. He taught at the University of Rochester until 1953, as Professor since 1915, and as chair of the department from 1925. In 1945 he was the first to hold Cambridge University’s Pitt Professor of American History and InstitutionsPitt Professor of American History and Institutions
The Pitt Professorship of American History and Institutions was established on 5 February 1944 from a sum of £44,000 received from the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press in 1943 and augmented by a further £5,000 in 1946...
. Dr. Perkins was also the John L. Senior
John L. Senior
John Lawson Senior was a sports administrator and the founder of Slope Day at Cornell University.Senior graduated from Cornell University in 1901 and was a member of the Sphinx Head Society. Senior organized the first "Spring Day," the predecessor to the modern Slope Day, in March 1901 to meet an...
Professor of American Civilization at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
from 1954 to 1959. He was a former visiting professor at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
and Cambridge University. Perkins was the official U.S. historian at the 1945 San Francisco Security Conference that preceded the organization of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. From 1950-1951, he served as the first president of the Salzburg Global Seminar, a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
based in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
whose mission is to challenge current and future leaders to develop creative ideas for solving global problems. As president of the American Historical Association
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...
in 1956, he delivered an address that emphasized the importance of teaching alongside scholarly research at universities. His son Bradford
Bradford Perkins (historian)
Bradford Perkins was an American historian who spent the bulk of his career at the University of Michigan. He was the son of the historian Dexter Perkins.-Life:...
is a notable historian in his own right.
Scholarly Works and Impact
He is the author of The Monroe Doctrine; American and the Two Wars; and The Evolution of American Foreign Policy. Perkins co-authored with Glyndon G. Van Deusen (also of the University of Rochester,) "The United States of America: A History." The two-volume work was published in 1962.- The New Age of Franklin Roosevelt, 1932-1945 (Chicago History of American Civilization) (1957)