Dumas Malone
Encyclopedia
Dumas Malone was an American
historian, biographer, and editor noted for his six-volume biography on Thomas Jefferson
, for which he received the 1975 Pulitzer Prize
for history. In 1983 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
.
, Mississippi
, Malone received his bachelor's degree in 1910 from Emory College (Emory University
). In 1916 he received his divinity degree from Yale University
in 1916. Between 1917 and 1919 during the First World War, he became a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Following the war, he returned to Yale University where he obtained his Master's (1921) and doctorate (1923) degrees. He won the John Addison Porter
prize in 1923 for his dissertation The Public Life of Thomas Cooper, 1783-1839 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1926).
, Columbia University
, and the University of Virginia
, where he was the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History. He was a Director of the Harvard University Press
and served as editor of the original Dictionary of American Biography. His first contribution to historical scholarship was a still authoritative biography of the American political commentator and educator Thomas Cooper
(Yale University Press, 1926).
He is best known for his six-volume biography of Thomas Jefferson
, published between 1948 and 1981, for which he earned the 1975 Pulitzer Prize
. Among the many contributions of this authoritative study was Malone's inclusion in each volume of a detailed timeline of Jefferson's life. Malone's volumes were widely praised for their lucid and graceful writing style, for their rigorous and thorough scholarship, and for their attention to Jefferson's evolving constitutional and political thought. Later reviewers, however, faulted Malone for his tendency to adopt Jefferson's own perspective and thus to be insufficiently criticial of his occasional political errors, faults, and lapses; for his bias in favor of Jefferson and against his principal adversaries Alexander Hamilton
, Aaron Burr
, and John Marshall
; and for his failure to come to grips with Jefferson's life as a slaveowner and his relationship with his slave Sally Hemings
. Thus, Malone received considerable though balanced criticism in Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy (1997), the first book by the historian Annette Gordon-Reed
.
The six volumes, originally published by Atlantic/Little, Brown, and in 2005 republished by the University of Virginia Press, were:
Malone also published a set of lectures, Thomas Jefferson as Political Leader, with the University of California Press in 1963.
Malone died in Virginia. He is buried at the University of Virginia Cemetery and Columbarium in Charlottesville.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
historian, biographer, and editor noted for his six-volume biography on Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, for which he received the 1975 Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for history. In 1983 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
.
Early life and education
Born at ColdwaterColdwater, Mississippi
Coldwater is a small town in Tate County, Mississippi, United States. It is in the Memphis Metropolitan Area or Mid-South. The population was 1,674 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Coldwater is located at...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Malone received his bachelor's degree in 1910 from Emory College (Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
). In 1916 he received his divinity degree from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1916. Between 1917 and 1919 during the First World War, he became a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Following the war, he returned to Yale University where he obtained his Master's (1921) and doctorate (1923) degrees. He won the John Addison Porter
John Addison Porter
John Addison Porter was an American Professor of Chemistry. He was born in Catskill, New York and died in New Haven, Connecticut...
prize in 1923 for his dissertation The Public Life of Thomas Cooper, 1783-1839 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1926).
Career
Malone served on the faculty of Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, and the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, where he was the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History. He was a Director of the Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. Its current director is William P...
and served as editor of the original Dictionary of American Biography. His first contribution to historical scholarship was a still authoritative biography of the American political commentator and educator Thomas Cooper
Thomas Cooper
Thomas Cooper may refer to:*Thomas Buchecker Cooper U.S. congressman from Pennsylvania*Thomas Cooper, 1st Baron Cooper of Culross , Scottish politician, judge and historian...
(Yale University Press, 1926).
He is best known for his six-volume biography of Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, published between 1948 and 1981, for which he earned the 1975 Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
. Among the many contributions of this authoritative study was Malone's inclusion in each volume of a detailed timeline of Jefferson's life. Malone's volumes were widely praised for their lucid and graceful writing style, for their rigorous and thorough scholarship, and for their attention to Jefferson's evolving constitutional and political thought. Later reviewers, however, faulted Malone for his tendency to adopt Jefferson's own perspective and thus to be insufficiently criticial of his occasional political errors, faults, and lapses; for his bias in favor of Jefferson and against his principal adversaries Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
, Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
, and John Marshall
John Marshall
John Marshall was the Chief Justice of the United States whose court opinions helped lay the basis for American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches...
; and for his failure to come to grips with Jefferson's life as a slaveowner and his relationship with his slave Sally Hemings
Sally Hemings
Sarah "Sally" Hemings was a mixed-race slave owned by President Thomas Jefferson through inheritance from his wife. She was the half-sister of Jefferson's wife, Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson by their father John Wayles...
. Thus, Malone received considerable though balanced criticism in Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy (1997), the first book by the historian Annette Gordon-Reed
Annette Gordon-Reed
Annette Gordon-Reed is an American historian and law professor noted for changing scholarship on Thomas Jefferson. Gordon-Reed was educated at Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School. She is Professor of Law and History at Harvard, and the Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at the Radcliffe...
.
The six volumes, originally published by Atlantic/Little, Brown, and in 2005 republished by the University of Virginia Press, were:
- Jefferson the Virginian (1948)
- Jefferson and the Rights of Man (1951)
- Jefferson and the Ordeal of Liberty (1962)
- Jefferson the President: First Term, 1801-1805 (1970)
- Jefferson the President: Second Term, 1805-1809 (1974)
- The Sage of Monticello (1981).
Malone also published a set of lectures, Thomas Jefferson as Political Leader, with the University of California Press in 1963.
Legacy and honors
- 1983 President Ronald Reagan awarded him the Presidential Medal of FreedomPresidential Medal of FreedomThe Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
. Malone died on December 27, 1986 at CharlottesvilleCharlottesville, VirginiaCharlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Malone died in Virginia. He is buried at the University of Virginia Cemetery and Columbarium in Charlottesville.