David Harris Willson
Encyclopedia
David Harris Willson was an American
historian and professor who specialized in the history of Seventeenth Century England.
. Another English progenitor, John Harris, Sr.
eventually founded Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
. David Harris Willson's parents were Thomas Harris Willson and Amelia Shryrock Willson.
Willson first attended Haddonfield Friends School in Haddonfield, New Jersey
, then Friends Select School in Philadelphia. He attended Haverford College
in Philadelphia, graduating in 1921. While at Haverford he was selected for a fellowship at Cornell University
in Ithaca, New York
, where he pursued a Ph.D. in English History. He received a 1923 prize which carried sufficient funds to allow him to complete his research in England, and while in England he was recommended for an instructor position at the University of Minnesota
. He moved to Minneapolis in September 1924 to begin that assignment, and his Ph.D. (from Cornell) was granted in 1925.
in 1931 and at Duke University
in 1936. He was secretary of the Modern European History section of the American Historical Association from 1941 until 1946. He served on the Robert Livingston Schuyler Prize Committee. He served on the advisory board of the Yale Parliamentary Diaries Project. He sat on the program committee of the Mid-west Conference on British Studies from 1959 until 1962, and was president of that conference from 1965 until 1967.
Willson was a Visiting Professor at the University of Texas in 1966 and 1967.
Willson wrote numerous articles and reviews and US and English journals.
s (1941-1943 and 1948-1949). In a September 1994 interview, American historian Stanford Lehmberg
stated:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
historian and professor who specialized in the history of Seventeenth Century England.
Early life and education
Willson's progenitors bearing the Willson name first arrived from England in 1638, settling in Dedham, MassachusettsDedham, Massachusetts
Dedham is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest by Westwood and on the southeast by...
. Another English progenitor, John Harris, Sr.
John Harris, Sr.
John Harris, Sr. emigrated from Britain to America late in the 17th century. Harris would later settle and establish Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, which bears his name today.-Biography:...
eventually founded Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
. David Harris Willson's parents were Thomas Harris Willson and Amelia Shryrock Willson.
Willson first attended Haddonfield Friends School in Haddonfield, New Jersey
Haddonfield, New Jersey
Haddonfield is a borough located in Camden County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a total population of 11,593....
, then Friends Select School in Philadelphia. He attended Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
in Philadelphia, graduating in 1921. While at Haverford he was selected for a fellowship 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...
in Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
, where he pursued a Ph.D. in English History. He received a 1923 prize which carried sufficient funds to allow him to complete his research in England, and while in England he was recommended for an instructor position at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. He moved to Minneapolis in September 1924 to begin that assignment, and his Ph.D. (from Cornell) was granted in 1925.
Teaching career
Willson remained at the University of Minnesota until 1969. However, during that time he was also active in teaching and historical research. He taught summer school at the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1931 and at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
in 1936. He was secretary of the Modern European History section of the American Historical Association from 1941 until 1946. He served on the Robert Livingston Schuyler Prize Committee. He served on the advisory board of the Yale Parliamentary Diaries Project. He sat on the program committee of the Mid-west Conference on British Studies from 1959 until 1962, and was president of that conference from 1965 until 1967.
Willson was a Visiting Professor at the University of Texas in 1966 and 1967.
Writing career
Willson's first book was The Parliamentary Diary of Robert Bowyer, 1606-1607, published by University of Minnesota Press in 1931. His second book was Privy Councillors in the House of Commons, 1604-1629, published by University of Minnesota Press in 1940. His third book was King James VI and I, published by Cope, Hall in 1956. His magnum opus is A History of England (co-authored with Stuart E. Prall), which was first published in 1967 by Holt, but which has undergone several subsequent editions. One website lists it as "the best modern biography of James I".Willson wrote numerous articles and reviews and US and English journals.
Academic and career honors
Willson received the Laura Messenger Prize in History (1923), which allowed him to travel to England for research on his doctoral dissertation. He received two Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
s (1941-1943 and 1948-1949). In a September 1994 interview, American historian Stanford Lehmberg
Stanford Lehmberg
-Early life and schooling:Stanford E. Lehmberg was born in McPherson, Kansas. Lehmberg's father was a Kansas dealer in farm implements, who spent most of his life also managing a local bank. Lehmberg's mother was a teacher in Kansas public schools before Stanford was born...
stated:
- David Harris Willson was probably the most distinguished historian of Seventeenth Century England and the most distinguished Stuart historian of his generation . . "