Thomas J. Wertenbaker
Encyclopedia
Thomas Jefferson Wertenbaker (February 6, 1879 - April 22, 1966) was a leading American historian
and Edwards Professor of American History at Princeton University
. Born in Charlottesville, Virginia
, he received his bachelor's and doctoral degrees from the University of Virginia
, gaining a reputation for his doctoral dissertation, Patrician and Plebeian in Virginia (1910), followed by Virginia Under the Stuarts (1914), and his master work, The Planters of Colonial Virginia (1922).
In 1910, Princeton President Woodrow Wilson
brought him there as a preceptor
. Wertenbaker was a member of the history department for 37 years and its chairman from 1928 to 1936. He was an effective and popular undergraduate teacher, and also carried the majority of the burden of graduate teaching for many years.
He was president of the American Historical Association
in 1947, a member of the American Philosophical Society
, and professor at the University of Oxford
, visiting professor at the University of Göttingen and the University of Munich. He was also a newspaper editor and an amateur architect.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and Edwards Professor of American History at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. Born in Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville 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...
, he received his bachelor's and doctoral degrees from 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...
, gaining a reputation for his doctoral dissertation, Patrician and Plebeian in Virginia (1910), followed by Virginia Under the Stuarts (1914), and his master work, The Planters of Colonial Virginia (1922).
In 1910, Princeton President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
brought him there as a preceptor
Preceptor
A preceptor is a teacher responsible to uphold a certain law or tradition, a precept.-Christian military orders:A preceptor was historically in charge of a preceptory, the headquarters of certain orders of monastic Knights, such as the Knights Hospitaller and Knights Templar, within a given...
. Wertenbaker was a member of the history department for 37 years and its chairman from 1928 to 1936. He was an effective and popular undergraduate teacher, and also carried the majority of the burden of graduate teaching for many years.
He was 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 1947, a member of the American Philosophical Society
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
, and professor at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, visiting professor at the University of Göttingen and the University of Munich. He was also a newspaper editor and an amateur architect.
Selected works
- Patrician and Plebeian in Virginia (doctoral thesis) (1910)
- Virginia Under the Stuarts, 1607-1688 (1914)
- The Planters of Colonial Virginia (1922)
- The Founding of American Civilization: The Middle Colonies (1938)
- The Old South: The Founding of American Civilization (1942)
- The Puritan Oligarchy: The Founding of American Civilization (1947)
External links
- The Molding of the Middle West, 1947 Presidential Address at the American Historical AssociationAmerican Historical AssociationThe 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...
- "Bacon's Rebellion, 1676", at manybooks.netManybooks.netManybooks.net is a digital library that takes e-books from Project Gutenberg, the Internet Archive, and other free sources and converts them to file formats suitable for e-readers, such as PDF or ePub...