A. Hunter Dupree
Encyclopedia
Anderson Hunter Dupree is a distinguished American historian and one of the pioneer historians of the history of science and technology
in the United States.
, where he earned his bachelor of arts degree (summa cum laude) in 1942. Upon completion of his undergraduate work, he joined the United States Navy
in 1942, and became a Lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
At the end of World War Two, Hunter Dupree married Marguerite Louise Arnold in 1946, having two children including the historian Marguerite Dupree and the harpsichord maker Anderson H. Dupree.
Hunter Dupree entered Harvard University
, where he completed his Master's Degree in 1947, and his Ph.D. in 1952, having written his doctoral dissertation on Asa Gray
, titled Asa Gray: The Development of a Statesman of Science, 1810-1848.
) in Lubbock, Texas
, where he remained until 1952, when he was appointed a research fellow at the Gray Herbarium at Harvard University
. He served two appointments there in 1952-54 and 1955-56. In addition, he served as project director on grants at the National Science Foundation
, 1953-55.
In 1956, The University of California, Berkeley appointed him visiting assistant professor of history, then promoted to associate professor in 1958, and professor of history in 1961. He remained at Berkeley until 1968, during which period he served additionally as assistant to the chancellor in 1960-62, and director of the Bancroft Library
in 1965-66. In addition, he was a consultant to the committee on science and public policy at the National Academy of Science in 1963-64.
In 1968, Brown University
appointed him George L. Littlefield Professor of History, a position he held until his retirement in 1981. While in this post, he served as a consultant to the Panel on Science and Technology and Astronautics, U.S. House of Representatives, 1969–73; trustee of the Museum of American Textile History, a member of the NASA Historical Advisory Committee
, and the Atomic Energy Commission's Historical Advisory Committee
.
to Jeffries Wyman
', Isis Vol.42,Part 2., No.128. (June,1951), pp. 104–110.
• 'Thomas Nuttall
’s Controversy With Asa Gray
', Rhodora, Vol. 54, (1952), pp. 293 –303.
• 'Science vs. the Military: Dr. James Morrow and the Perry Expedition
', The Pacific Historical Review, vol. 22, no. 1, (1953), pp. 29–37.
• 'Jeffries Wyman
’s views on evolution', Isis, vol. 44 (1953), pp. 243-246.
• Science in the Federal Government, a history of policies and activities to 1940. (1957, 1986)
• Asa Gray
, 1810-1888 (1959, 1968, 1988)
• "What manuscripts the historian wants saved", Isis, vol. 53 (1962), pp. 63–66.
• Darwiniana
; essays and reviews pertaining to Darwinism by Asa Gray
; edited A. Hunter Dupree. (1963)
• Science and the emergence of modern America, 1865-1916, edited by A. Hunter Dupree. (1963)
• Some general implications of the research of the Harvard University Program on Technology and Society edited by Emmanuel G. Mesthene. Comment: the anticipation of change by Simon Ramo. Comment: Is technology predictable? by Peter F. Drucker. Comment: the role of technology in society and the need for historical perspective by A. Hunter Dupree. Comment on the comments by Emmanuel G. Mesthene. (1969)
• "The crisis in authority", Brown Alumni Monthly, vol. 70, no. 1, (1969)
• Science and society: past, present, and future edited by Nicholas H. Steneck with a contribution by A. Hunter Dupree (1975)
• Sir Joseph Banks
and the origins of science policy. James Ford Bell Lecture
; no. 22. (1984).
History of science and technology
The history of science and technology is a field of history which examines how humanity's understanding of the natural world and ability to manipulate it have changed over the centuries...
in the United States.
Early Education and Education
The son of a lawyer, George W. Dupree, and his wife, Sarah Hunter, he attended Oberlin CollegeOberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, where he earned his bachelor of arts degree (summa cum laude) in 1942. Upon completion of his undergraduate work, he joined the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in 1942, and became a Lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
At the end of World War Two, Hunter Dupree married Marguerite Louise Arnold in 1946, having two children including the historian Marguerite Dupree and the harpsichord maker Anderson H. Dupree.
Hunter Dupree entered Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he completed his Master's Degree in 1947, and his Ph.D. in 1952, having written his doctoral dissertation on Asa Gray
Asa Gray
-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
, titled Asa Gray: The Development of a Statesman of Science, 1810-1848.
Academic career
In 1950, Dupree took up his first academic position as assistant professor of history at Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech UniversityTexas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
) in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, where he remained until 1952, when he was appointed a research fellow at the Gray Herbarium at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He served two appointments there in 1952-54 and 1955-56. In addition, he served as project director on grants at the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, 1953-55.
In 1956, The University of California, Berkeley appointed him visiting assistant professor of history, then promoted to associate professor in 1958, and professor of history in 1961. He remained at Berkeley until 1968, during which period he served additionally as assistant to the chancellor in 1960-62, and director of the Bancroft Library
Bancroft Library
The Bancroft Library is the primary special collections library of the University of California, Berkeley. It was acquired as a gift/purchase from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity...
in 1965-66. In addition, he was a consultant to the committee on science and public policy at the National Academy of Science in 1963-64.
In 1968, Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
appointed him George L. Littlefield Professor of History, a position he held until his retirement in 1981. While in this post, he served as a consultant to the Panel on Science and Technology and Astronautics, U.S. House of Representatives, 1969–73; trustee of the Museum of American Textile History, a member of the NASA Historical Advisory Committee
NASA Historical Advisory Committee
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Historical Advisory Committee was established in 1964.-History:The NASA Historical Office was established under its first chief historian, Dr. Eugene Emme in 1960. The committee was first made up of a wide variety of members, who initially sought...
, and the Atomic Energy Commission's Historical Advisory Committee
Atomic Energy Commission's Historical Advisory Committee
The Atomic Energy Commission's Historical Advisory Committee was established in February 1958, when the United States Atomic Energy Commission was a decade old and continued until 1974 when the Energy Research and Development Administration and later the United States Department of Energy replaced...
.
Awards
- In 1976, he received the Presidential Award of the New York Academy of SciencesNew York Academy of SciencesThe New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
and was selected as a Fellow, Center for Advanced Studies, National Humanities CenterNational Humanities CenterThe National Humanities Center is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities. It is the only major independent institute for advanced study in all fields of the humanities in the United States. The NHC operates as a privately incorporated nonprofit and is not part of any...
in 1978-79.
- In 1990, he was awarded the George Sarton MedalGeorge Sarton MedalThe George Sarton Medal is the most prestigious award given by the History of Science Society. It has been awarded annually since 1955. It is awarded to an historian of science from the international community who became distinguished for "a lifetime of scholarly achievement" in the field...
.
Published works
• 'Some Letters from Charles DarwinCharles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
to Jeffries Wyman
Jeffries Wyman
Jeffries Wyman was an American naturalist and anatomist, born in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Wyman died in Bethlehem, New Hampshire of a pulmonary hemorrhage.-Career:...
', Isis Vol.42,Part 2., No.128. (June,1951), pp. 104–110.
• 'Thomas Nuttall
Thomas Nuttall
Thomas Nuttall was an English botanist and zoologist, who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841....
’s Controversy With Asa Gray
Asa Gray
-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
', Rhodora, Vol. 54, (1952), pp. 293 –303.
• 'Science vs. the Military: Dr. James Morrow and the Perry Expedition
Perry Expedition
The Perry Expedition was a U.S. naval and diplomatic expedition to Japan, involving 2 separate trips to and from Japan by ships of the United States Navy, which took place during 1853-54. The expedition was commanded by Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry...
', The Pacific Historical Review, vol. 22, no. 1, (1953), pp. 29–37.
• 'Jeffries Wyman
Jeffries Wyman
Jeffries Wyman was an American naturalist and anatomist, born in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. Wyman died in Bethlehem, New Hampshire of a pulmonary hemorrhage.-Career:...
’s views on evolution', Isis, vol. 44 (1953), pp. 243-246.
• Science in the Federal Government, a history of policies and activities to 1940. (1957, 1986)
• Asa Gray
Asa Gray
-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
, 1810-1888 (1959, 1968, 1988)
• "What manuscripts the historian wants saved", Isis, vol. 53 (1962), pp. 63–66.
• Darwiniana
Darwiniana
Darwiniana is a collection of essays by botanist Asa Gray. The articles both defended the theory of evolution from the standpoint of botany, and sought reconciliation with theology by arguing theistic evolution, that natural selection is not inconsistent with Natural Theology.-References:* Gray,...
; essays and reviews pertaining to Darwinism by Asa Gray
Asa Gray
-References:*Asa Gray. Dictionary of American Biography. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936.*Asa Gray. Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.*Asa Gray. Plant Sciences. 4 vols. Macmillan Reference USA, 2001....
; edited A. Hunter Dupree. (1963)
• Science and the emergence of modern America, 1865-1916, edited by A. Hunter Dupree. (1963)
• Some general implications of the research of the Harvard University Program on Technology and Society edited by Emmanuel G. Mesthene. Comment: the anticipation of change by Simon Ramo. Comment: Is technology predictable? by Peter F. Drucker. Comment: the role of technology in society and the need for historical perspective by A. Hunter Dupree. Comment on the comments by Emmanuel G. Mesthene. (1969)
• "The crisis in authority", Brown Alumni Monthly, vol. 70, no. 1, (1969)
• Science and society: past, present, and future edited by Nicholas H. Steneck with a contribution by A. Hunter Dupree (1975)
• Sir Joseph Banks
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
and the origins of science policy. James Ford Bell Lecture
James Ford Bell Lecture
The James Ford Bell Lecture has been delivered annually since 1964 in the James Ford Bell Library at the University of Minnesota on a topic relating to the collections of the Library: the history of global trade before ca. 1800 CE....
; no. 22. (1984).