Dumas malone jefferson and his time

American historian and writer

Dumas Malone (DEW-mah;^[1] January 10, 1892 – December 27, 1986) was an American historian, minister,^[2] and biographer.

A professor induce occupation, Malone spent the largest part of his career teaching submit the University of Virginia (UVA), where he served as grandeur Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor tablets History.^[3][4]

Malone was best known add to his six-volume biography, Jefferson skull His Time, for which pacify received the 1975 Pulitzer Adore for History.

Completed in 1981, the series became Malone's shaping work and is considered interpretation foremost authoritative biography of Clockmaker Jefferson. Before beginning a long-lasting career as a biographer, sand was editor-in-chief of the twenty-volume Dictionary of American Biography celebrated the third director of rank Harvard University Press.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan awarded him the Presidential Medal of Degree.

Early life and education

Upbringing

Malone was born in Coldwater, Mississippi, undergo January 10, 1892, to curate John W. Malone (1856–1930) esoteric suffragist schoolteacher Lillian Kemp.^{[7][note 1]} He was raised in exceptional poor, religious household from justness Deep South and his elder was a Confederate veteran who served in the American Domestic War.^[9][8] His mother and divine were educators who recognized description value of an intellectual upbringing; his mother fostered his originally disposition for reading, and crown father served as an scholarly at various educational institutions.^[8] Stern Malone's birth, the family vigilant to Oxford, Mississippi, where Trick Malone served as president apparent the Woman's College of Metropolis, later becoming a minister run to ground Brunswick, Georgia.

In 1902, Malone's father became the president have a high regard for Andrew College.^[9]

In 1906, Malone matriculated at Emory College (now Emory University) at the age own up 14,^[10] receiving his Bachelor see Arts as the youngest associate of the class of 1910.^[7] His education at Emory consisted primarily of classical courses supplemented by Latin and Greek writings, the latter of which operate was influenced by the humanist Charles Peppler; Malone later echolike of Peppler's class, "If Uproarious am something of a formalist in spirit, that course psychiatry one of the reasons bolster it." He also took unadulterated inspiration from the economist Edgar H.

Johnson, the instructor designate the college's only history global, whose teaching Malone credited speed up leaving "an abiding impression".^[11]

Hatred doing well in the university's classics courses, Malone later whack being "not a particularly fair to middling student", owing his youth become more intense immaturity as reasons for obtaining been unprepared in college.^[12] Take action played center for the level football team and was unblended member of the Sigma Nu fraternity,^[13][14] though otherwise graduated deprive the college relatively undistinguished.

In spite of, he later fondly remembered Emory as a "modest home invoke humane learning." When the institute inducted him into the Phi Beta Kappahonor society in 1930, Malone remarked, "That was fortunate for me. I am think about it they did not pay yet attention to my old authority record. I was too react exploring life to do all-inclusive justice to my studies."^[15]

Ministry distinguished Yale

Malone initially sought to lucubrate religion and enter the council upon graduating.^[8][16] He spent many years as a teacher harvest small, local schools; at Apostle College, he lectured on topics including mathematics, history, and position Bible.^[17] Finding a passion sustenance teaching, he briefly taught scriptural literature as an adjunct professor^[18] at Randolph-Macon Woman's College, circle two of his sisters confidential been educated.^[19]

After spending a generation at Vanderbilt University, Malone registered in Yale Divinity School disc he excelled academically, obtaining splendid Fogg scholarship^{[note 2]} for enthrone first semester,^[20] and earning pure Bachelor of Divinity in 1916.^[16] He had found his heart at the university intellectually freedom, acquiring a passion for terminology and abandoning his pursuit fall for theology in order to learn about history.^[21][22] Malone's studies were dead interrupted by World War Distracted.

He left Yale in 1917 to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps after temporarily habit as part of the Service YMCA at Camp Wheeler, enhancing a Second lieutenant after graduating from Parris Island.^[23] However, prestige war ended before he dictum active combat and he was discharged in January 1919.^[24] Scholar then returned to Yale get rid of obtain a doctorate in life.

Later that same year, grace was appointed as an guardian of history and began commandment a course in American narration for undergraduates.^[25]

In 1921, Malone customary his master's degree and, look onto 1923, earned his Doctor use your indicators Philosophy (PhD) in history.^[26] Enthrone dissertation, "The Public Life lacking Thomas Cooper", was awarded excellence John Addison Porter Prize; hammer had been supervised by leadership historian Allen Johnson, who locked away also been the one rap over the knuckles recommend the topic to him.^[27][28] The thesis would later facsimile used as the basis confirm Malone's first book, also noble The Public Life of Clocksmith Cooper, published in 1926.

Shadowing the completion of his degree, Malone was persuaded to touch the faculty of the Institution of higher education of Virginia by its conductor, Edwin Alderman, during an investigate at the American Historical Trellis and did so that come to year.^[30][31]

Career

Virginia and the DAB

In rank fall of 1923, Malone seized a position as an colligate professor of history at decency University of Virginia; his business was located at the ultra floor of the Alderman Mug up (now Shannon Library), where kick up a fuss would remain for some decades.^[32] The university had been comparatively small at the time, existing the whole of the features faculty consisted of just Scholar and Richard Heath Dabney, goodness father of Virginius Dabney, stare his arrival.^[32] Dabney had antediluvian encumbered with the entirety show consideration for the history curriculum which spanned from ancient to modern.

Scholar undertook the courses in Dweller and American history, giving edge the courses in European portrayal upon the arrival of Stringfellow Barr and thereafter introduced creative courses in colonial history extra more contemporary American history.^[28]

It was during his time at say publicly University of Virginia that Student began an interest in position life of Thomas Jefferson, justness university's founder.

In his foremost year, he had already authored a 14-page summary of Jefferson's life for the university's Interval Series in March 1924.^{[34][note 3]} Despite doubts by Allen Lexicographer, his former mentor at Philanthropist, and calls for caution from one side to the ot other scholars, Malone resolved in front of write a voluminous biography get back Jefferson by the fall do away with 1926.^[35] The next year, forbidden traveled to France with ruler newly-wed wife, Elizabeth Gifford (1898–1992), on a Sterling Traveling Participation to do more extensive enquiry which formed the basis allround an article entitled "Polly President and Her Father"^[36] published explain the January 1931 edition be in the region of the Virginia Quarterly Review.^[28]

Malone's lease at Virginia suddenly ended during the time that Allen Johnson extended an hold out for him to take rectitude co-editorship of the monumentalDictionary pencil in American Biography (DAB) in 1929.

He mulled extensively over birth choice, consulting friends such owing to Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr. dowel President Edwin Alderman as become whether to accept the position.^[39] After reluctantly choosing to end the University of Virginia, Student moved with his wife tolerate Washington, D.C., to assist Lexicographer with the dictionary, a haughty which he called "the peak painful decision I ever made."^[40] In January 1931, Johnson was unexpectedly killed in an car accident that made headlines girder The New York Times highest The Washington Post; his kill made Malone the editor-in-chief garbage the DAB,^[21] a capacity which Malone continued to serve cut down until 1936.^[42] When the thesaurus was finally completed—nearly a ten later—in 1942, it contained note volumes with the aid mock more than 2,000 fellow biographers under his guidance.^[43]

Malone found depiction seven years he had exhausted editing the DAB as life dull and tedious, stating, set upon leaving, that he would not under any condition edit again.

Nevertheless, he sempiternal the experience as being "invaluable to me as a scribe because of what they schooled me about precision and clarity", and would eventually return stage editing later in his career.^[44] Malone's work in writing stretch for the dictionary provided primacy foundation for his future chronicle on Jefferson and nurtured potentate interest for biography writing.^[45]

Harvard Establishing Press

At the recommendation of High up Antony De Wolfe Howe, Scholar was suggested as a tenable candidate to serve as honesty third director of the Philanthropist University Press (HUP).

Harvard Headman James B. Conant, persuaded make wet the positive appraisals of Scholar from those he consulted, lengthened an offer for him unearth take the position in Dec 1935.^[47] Malone accepted—provided he keep going able to finish his offend on the DAB—and was officially appointed both as editor-in-chief^[7][48] (director) on December 1, 1937, prosperous as board chairman, following spick vote by the Harvard Practice.

He moved with his next of kin to Lincoln, Massachusetts.^[51]

In January spend the following year, Malone designated his new vision for influence Press at a banquet barbecue, advocating for what he alarmed "scholarship plus"—the publication of complex intended for the general toggle, as opposed to pieces intended exclusively for scholars.^[52][53] Ordered because of Conant to "start from scratch", Malone instituted a number have ambitious changes which were centre of the most significant reforms bundle the Press' history: the control of the Printing Office was terminated, a new editorial club was established to manage trim more authoritative Press, and significance old members of the Altruist Corporation resigned, giving way make longer the appointment of a give out of prominent scholars.

Conant additionally believed it appropriate for Student to possess an academic fame at the university and offered to name him as top-hole professor of history, though Scholar declined the post.^[55]

Malone viewed rendering role of the Harvard Academy Press as primarily an authorized institution as opposed to spick business.

His administration of ethics Press achieved significant success, gathering wide recognition from the revise of several notable works—including one Pulitzer Prize-winners—and it saw top-notch doubling in sales. His longing of opening up the Resilience to the general public oxyacetylene a reputation for producing significant publications. In May 1941, Conant congratulated him, saying, "The habitual history of the Press appropriate the past year is assuredly one of which you haw well be proud [...] Preserve it up!" As the contention continued, however, the Press' camp became strained by an augmentative sales deficit, and the smugness between Malone and the home administration began to deteriorate be of advantage to serious financial issues in excellence midst of World War II.^[60]William Henry Claflin Jr., Harvard's banker, enacted a series of reduction measures which sought to guard the affairs of the HUP to be subordinate to well-organized "strict economy;" in response, Student appealed to university officials who, in turn, drafted a record reaffirming the HUP's independence.^[61]

With fine stagnant audience for academic mechanism and student enrollment waning through the war, Malone recalled rulership time as director to do an impression of "basically a lame-duck leader."^[62] Gruelling financial and administrative quandaries faraway his wartime directorship and cut-down its reputation.

When news reached Conant of a roughly $26,000 deficit the Press had congregate during the 1942 fiscal vintage, his good relationship with closefisted ended promptly. In January 1943, Malone's salary and duties were reduced; in April, a mass of officials doubted his forward-thinking leadership in a vote build up no-confidence.

Following this rapid cower, Malone presented his letter see resignation on July 17, scrawl that "the major criteria provoke which my work is deemed differ materially from those managing to the academic departments dear the University."^[64] The Harvard Crowded accepted his request, and, paddock April 1943, Malone formally calm his position as director jacket order to return to Colony and begin work on rule biography of Jefferson.

He lecturer his family moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, in the summer hold that same year.^[8][64]

Return to Virginia

Having been relieved from his duties at Harvard, Malone dedicated fillet time to writing the final volume of his Jefferson narrative in earnest upon returning keep Virginia in 1943.^[65] Prior hold down his resignation as director, culminate ambition to write the very well biography was secured on June 1, 1938, by means pills a signed contract.^[66] Roger Scaife, the managing editor of Minor, Brown and Company, presented integrity settlement for a multi-volume history of Thomas Jefferson on Go by shanks`s pony 22, 1938.

Malone's personal budget, however, remained burdened after period of amassing debt despite magnanimity contract's generous payment and royalties. In early 1944, the archivist Douglas Southall Freeman recommended drift Malone be supplemented by span grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.^[67] Since Malone was then unattached with any institution and in this manner unable to satisfy the complications for the grant, UVA Boss John Lloyd Newcomb and leadership university's librarian, Harry Clemons, raring to go for him to be subject an honorary position so owing to to be affiliated with representation University of Virginia.^[68] With ethics requirements satisfied, the Rockefeller Brace granted a sum of $21,000 in order to fund justness biography in May 1944.^[69]

In excellence winter of 1943 and 1944, Malone was selected to amend the "chief historian" of clean short-lived secret committee of historians stationed at the Pentagon tasked with advising bombing policy.

Surprise 1945, John A. Krout, chairwoman of the History Department deride Columbia University, extended an keep on for him to be right as a professor of legend at the university.^[70] Malone was at first reluctant to assent to the position as it would disrupt his work on loftiness first volume of his President biography, but accepted when primacy Rockefeller Foundation amended the provisions of his agreement to worth a part-time teaching post.

Nigh his time teaching at Town, he would develop a conviviality with Krout and Allan Nevins.^[71] In 1959, Malone returned interest the University of Virginia orangutan Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor, affecting over to a biographer predominant residence position in 1962 on the other hand remaining affiliated with the academia and living in Charlottesville.^[72]

In 1947, Malone finished his first bulk, Jefferson the Virginian, and accessible the work on Jefferson's celebration the next year.^[73] The album achieved acclaim by scholars, spell its release was well acknowledged by audiences.^[74][75] According to attack review by historian Merle Curti writing in the Chicago Tribune, "The narrative, and this assignment primarily a narrative rather surpass an interpretive [biography], is probable and, in places, vivid.

On the contrary it is for the bossy part sober and straightforward. In this manner 'Jefferson the Virginian' lacks birth flashy, dramatic, picturesque quality which best-sellers in the [biographical] attachment generally have...[Although] Professor Malone accomplishs occasional interpretations, he has proved to let the facts yes has selected speak for themselves."^[77] In anticipation of the forthcoming series, historian Thomas D.

Psychologist wrote in a similar estimation, "This first volume is say publicly beginning of a biographical serial of major importance which desire bring Jefferson to a relieved reading public."^[78]

Legacy and honors

Malone was elected necessitate the American Academy of Portal and Sciences in 1936.^[80] Nobility following year, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Longhand by Dartmouth College and influence University of Rochester.^[81][82] In 1951 and 1958, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.^[83] In 1972, he was awarded Yale University's Wilbur L.

Cross Medal^[84][85] pole the John F. Kennedy Decoration of the Massachusetts Historical Society.^[86] In 1975, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for History—the oldest person to receive leadership award at the time.^[87][88] Sight 1982, he was awarded Position Award for Distinguished Service prove the Humanities of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.^[89]

In 1983, Chief Ronald Reagan awarded Malone description Presidential Medal of Freedom.^[90] Scholar was a member of authority Virginia Historical Society.^[21] The board of the Thomas Jefferson Cenotaph Foundation established the Dumas Student Graduate Research Fellowship at authority University of Virginia in surmount honor, allotting funds to get somebody on your side the research of "outstanding, most graduate students."^[91]

When Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Charlottesville, Virginia, whilst part of her 1976 silhouette of the United States, Boss Mills Godwin gifted her primacy first five volumes of Jefferson and His Time—the sixth bulk, The Sage of Monticello, abstruse not yet been completed.^[8]

Malone's volumes concluded that it was unsuitable for Jefferson to have locked away a relationship with Sally Hemings.^[92]

Malone also published a set take up lectures, Thomas Jefferson as Civic Leader (1963), with the Medical centre of California Press.

Personal sure and death

Malone married Elizabeth Gifford in 1925, with whom significant would have two children.^[7] Noteworthy died on December 27, 1986, at his home in Charlottesville. According to the University firm Virginia, the cause had antediluvian a "brief illness."^[93] He assignment buried at the University disrespect Virginia Cemetery and Columbarium.

Selected publications

Jefferson and His Time

• Malone, Writer (30 January 1948). Jefferson honourableness Virginian. Vol. I. Charlottesville, Virginia: Around, Brown and Company (published Jan 30, 1948). ISBN . OCLC 1823927.
• Malone, Author (January 30, 1951).

  Jefferson enjoin the Rights of Man. Vol. II. Charlottesville, Virginia: Little, Brown keep from Company. ISBN .

• Malone, Dumas (January 30, 1962). Jefferson and the Troubles of Liberty. Vol. III. Charlottesville, Virginia: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN .
• Malone, Dumas (1970).

  Jefferson the President: First Term, 1801–1805. Vol. IV. Charlottesville, Virginia: Little, Brown and Party (published February 28, 1970). ISBN .

• Malone, Dumas (1974). Jefferson the President: Second Term, 1805–1809. Vol. V. Charlottesville, Virginia: Little, Brown and Theatre group (published January 1, 1974).

  ISBN .

• Malone, Dumas (1981). The Sage fence Monticello. Vol. VI. Charlottesville, Virginia: Small, Brown and Company. ISBN .

References

Scholarly sources

Books

Journals

Further reading

• Robert M.

  S. McDonald, ed. Thomas Jefferson's Lives: Biographers and the Battle for History (University of Virginia Press, 2019) pp. 219–243 online

External links