Ernest Wallace
Encyclopedia
Ernest Wallace was an historian
of Texas
, the American West and the southern Great Plains
, who was affiliated with Texas Tech University
in Lubbock
.
and the exploits of Colonel
Ranald S. Mackenzie
in the Texas Panhandle
. Wallace’s titles include Charles De Morse, Editor and Statesman (his doctoral dissertation, 1943) and The Comanches: Lords of the South Plains (with E.A. Hoebel, 1952),. His other works include Ranald S. Mackenzie and the Texas Frontier (1964) and a related historical article "Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie's Expedition Across the South Plains" in Volume 38 of the West Texas Historical Association
Yearbook. In 1963, he and David M. Vigness co-edited Documents of Texas History. Other works are Texas in Turmoil (1965) and The Howling of the Coyotes: Reconstruction Efforts to Divide Texas (1979). In 1970 and 1981, respectively, he co-authored the third and fourth editions of Texas: The Lone Star State with Rupert N. Richardson
(former president of Hardin-Simmons University
in Abilene
), Cary D. Wintz, and Adrian Anderson.
Wallace edited the acclaimed Texas’ Last Frontier: Fort Stockton
and the Trans-Pecos
, written by Clayton W. Williams, Sr.
, father of the 1990 Republican
gubernatorial nominee, Clayton Wheat Williams, Jr.
, who narrowly lost the race to the Democrat
Ann Willis Richards
. A paperback version was released in December 1982.
, the seat of Morris County
in east Texas. His early education was procured in rural
schools in Morris and neighboring Cass County
. He received his Bachelor of Science
degree from Texas A&M University-Commerce, then East Texas Teacher's College at Commerce
. On April 10, 1926, Wallace wed the former Ellen Kegans (January 16, 1908–October 12, 1987), a college classmate from Merkel
in Taylor County
near Abilene, and the couple had a daughter.
Wallace began his teaching career in Linden
in Cass County, where he was also a coach from 1927-1928. Thereafter until 1935, he was superintendent of the public school in the Cornett community in Cass County. From 1935-1936, he taught in Tulia
in Swisher County
south of Amarillo
.
degree at then Texas Technological College in 1935 and began a Tech instructor of history in 1936. He was promoted to assistant professor in 1941, associate professor in 1943, and full professor in 1946. In 1942, he completed his Ph.D.
from the University of Texas at Austin
, under the supervision of Professor Walter Prescott Webb
. From 1945-1949, he directed the Texas Tech summer school program and was the assistant dean of the School of Arts and Sciences from 1945-1955. He was awarded fellowships in 1938 and 1952, respectively, by the UT Regents and the Ford Foundation
. He served for a time as a consultant to the United States Department of Justice
regarding suits filed against the national government by the Kiowa
, Kiowa-Apache, and Comanche tribes.
From 1975-1979, he was consultant for The Great Chiefs and The Texans for Time-Life Books. In 1967, he was among the first four professors named a Paul Whitfield Horn Professor, the highest recognition that the university bestows. He held the designation until his retirement in 1976. Horn was the first president of Texas Tech, having served from 1923-1932. In 1954, Wallace was named a fellow of the Texas State Historical Association
and served as president of the association from 1977 to 1978. In 1968, the West Texas Chamber of Commerce
presented Wallace with the "Cultural Achievement Award for Significant Contributions to Historical Literature". In 1969, he received the Minnie Stevens Piper Award. In 1971, the West Texas Museum Association presented Wallace with its Action Award for his "outstanding contributions to the enrichment and culture" of the South Plains
.
Among Wallace's colleagues at Texas Tech werer professors emeriti Paul H. Carlson
and Alwyn Barr
, who have also written extensively on Texas topics.
In 1975, Wallace received the Outstanding Teacher Award, which involved the establishment of the Ernest Wallace Scholarship in History, from the Texas Tech chapter of Phi Alpha Theta
honor society. Though he suffered a heart attack
in 1972, Wallace recovered to continue his academic duties and was still active professionally long after his retirement, having maintained an office in Holden Hall
, where the Tech history department is based.
In addition to the Texas State and West Texas historical associations, Wallace was active in the American Historical Association
, the Organization of American Historians
, the Southern Historical Association
, the Western Historical Association, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society, and the Texas Association of Classroom Teachers.
He was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal
Church, the Rotary International
, and the Masonic lodge
. Wallace died of a second heart attack at Methodist Hospital in Lubbock. He and Mrs. Wallace are interred there at Resthaven Memorial Park. His scholarly papers are housed in the Southwest Collection at Texas Tech.
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...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, the American West and the southern Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
, who was affiliated with Texas Tech University
Texas 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
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...
.
Historical works
His research focused particularly upon the Comanche IndiansComanche
The Comanche are a Native American ethnic group whose historic range consisted of present-day eastern New Mexico, southern Colorado, northeastern Arizona, southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma, and most of northwest Texas. Historically, the Comanches were hunter-gatherers, with a typical Plains Indian...
and the exploits of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Ranald S. Mackenzie
Ranald S. Mackenzie
Ranald Slidell Mackenzie was a career United States Army officer and general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, described by General Ulysses S. Grant as its most promising young officer...
in the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
. Wallace’s titles include Charles De Morse, Editor and Statesman (his doctoral dissertation, 1943) and The Comanches: Lords of the South Plains (with E.A. Hoebel, 1952),. His other works include Ranald S. Mackenzie and the Texas Frontier (1964) and a related historical article "Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie's Expedition Across the South Plains" in Volume 38 of the West Texas Historical Association
West Texas Historical Association
The West Texas Historical Association is an organization of both academics and laypersons dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of the total history of West Texas, defined geographically as all Texas counties and portions of counties located west of Interstate 35.-Formation of the...
Yearbook. In 1963, he and David M. Vigness co-edited Documents of Texas History. Other works are Texas in Turmoil (1965) and The Howling of the Coyotes: Reconstruction Efforts to Divide Texas (1979). In 1970 and 1981, respectively, he co-authored the third and fourth editions of Texas: The Lone Star State with Rupert N. Richardson
Rupert N. Richardson
Rupert Norval Richardson, Sr. , was an American historian and a former president of Baptist-affiliated Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas...
(former president of Hardin-Simmons University
Hardin-Simmons University
Hardin–Simmons University is a private Baptist university located in Abilene, Texas, United States.-History:Hardin–Simmons University was founded as Abilene Baptist College in 1891 by the Sweetwater Baptist Association and a group of cattlemen and pastors who sought to bring Christian higher...
in Abilene
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
), Cary D. Wintz, and Adrian Anderson.
Wallace edited the acclaimed Texas’ Last Frontier: Fort Stockton
Fort Stockton, Texas
Fort Stockton is a city in Pecos County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,846 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pecos County.-Geography:Fort Stockton is located at ....
and the Trans-Pecos
Pecos River
The headwaters of the Pecos River are located north of Pecos, New Mexico, United States, at an elevation of over 12,000 feet on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County. The river flows for through the eastern portion of that state and neighboring Texas before it...
, written by Clayton W. Williams, Sr.
Clayton W. Williams, Sr.
Clayton Wheat Williams, Sr. , was an engineer, a geologist, an oilman, a World War I military officer, a rancher, a county commissioner and civic leader, an historian, and a philanthropist from Fort Stockton, Texas....
, father of the 1990 Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
gubernatorial nominee, Clayton Wheat Williams, Jr.
Clayton Williams
Clayton Wheat "Claytie" Williams, Jr. , a businessman from Midland, Texas, was the unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1990 against the Democratic State Treasurer Ann Richards even though Williams initially led in opinion polls by twenty points.-Biographical information:An independent...
, who narrowly lost the race to the Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Ann Willis Richards
Ann Richards
Dorothy Ann Willis Richards was an American politician from Texas. She first came to national attention as the state treasurer of Texas, when she delivered the keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. Richards served as the 45th Governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995 and was...
. A paperback version was released in December 1982.
Early years and education
Wallace was born to Thomas Wallace and the former Lula Barber in DaingerfieldDaingerfield, Texas
Daingerfield is a city in Morris County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,517 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morris County....
, the seat of Morris County
Morris County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,048 people, 5,215 households, and 3,749 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 6,017 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile...
in east Texas. His early education was procured in rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
schools in Morris and neighboring Cass County
Cass County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 30,438 people, 12,190 households, and 8,654 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile . There were 13,890 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
. He received his Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree from Texas A&M University-Commerce, then East Texas Teacher's College at Commerce
Commerce, Texas
Commerce is a city in Hunt County, Texas, United States, located in rural East Texas. The population was 7,669 at the 2000 census, however recent growth and its proximity to Interstate 30 and the eastern Metroplex has put the population around 9750...
. On April 10, 1926, Wallace wed the former Ellen Kegans (January 16, 1908–October 12, 1987), a college classmate from Merkel
Merkel, Texas
Merkel is a town in Taylor County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,637 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abilene, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Merkel is located 17 miles west of Abilene near the Interstate Highway 20....
in Taylor County
Taylor County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 126,555 people, 47,274 households, and 32,524 families residing in the county. The population density was 138 people per square mile . There were 52,056 housing units at an average density of 57 per square mile...
near Abilene, and the couple had a daughter.
Wallace began his teaching career in Linden
Linden, Texas
Linden is a city in Cass County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,256 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cass County.-Geography:Linden is located at ....
in Cass County, where he was also a coach from 1927-1928. Thereafter until 1935, he was superintendent of the public school in the Cornett community in Cass County. From 1935-1936, he taught in Tulia
Tulia, Texas
Tulia is a city in, and county seat of, Swisher County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,117 at the 2000 census; in the 2005 census estimate, it had fallen to 4,714. The city is at the junction of U.S. Route 87 and Texas State Highway 86, approximately two miles east Interstate 27...
in Swisher County
Swisher County, Texas
Swisher County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 8,378. Its seat is Tulia. The county is named for James G. Swisher, a soldier of the Texas Revolution and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence...
south of Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
.
University career
Wallace received his Master of ArtsMaster of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree at then Texas Technological College in 1935 and began a Tech instructor of history in 1936. He was promoted to assistant professor in 1941, associate professor in 1943, and full professor in 1946. In 1942, he completed his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, under the supervision of Professor Walter Prescott Webb
Walter Prescott Webb
Walter Prescott Webb was a 20th century U.S. historian and author noted for his groundbreaking historical work on the American West. As president of the Texas State Historical Association, he launched the project that produced the Handbook of Texas...
. From 1945-1949, he directed the Texas Tech summer school program and was the assistant dean of the School of Arts and Sciences from 1945-1955. He was awarded fellowships in 1938 and 1952, respectively, by the UT Regents and the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
. He served for a time as a consultant to the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
regarding suits filed against the national government by the Kiowa
Kiowa
The Kiowa are a nation of American Indians and indigenous people of the Great Plains. They migrated from the northern plains to the southern plains in the late 17th century. In 1867, the Kiowa moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma...
, Kiowa-Apache, and Comanche tribes.
From 1975-1979, he was consultant for The Great Chiefs and The Texans for Time-Life Books. In 1967, he was among the first four professors named a Paul Whitfield Horn Professor, the highest recognition that the university bestows. He held the designation until his retirement in 1976. Horn was the first president of Texas Tech, having served from 1923-1932. In 1954, Wallace was named a fellow of the Texas State Historical Association
Texas State Historical Association
The Texas State Historical Association or abbreviated TSHA, is a non-profit educational organization, dedicated to documenting the rich and unique history of Texas. It was founded on March 2, 1897. As of November 2008, TSHA moved from Austin to the University of North Texas in Denton.The executive...
and served as president of the association from 1977 to 1978. In 1968, the West Texas Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
presented Wallace with the "Cultural Achievement Award for Significant Contributions to Historical Literature". In 1969, he received the Minnie Stevens Piper Award. In 1971, the West Texas Museum Association presented Wallace with its Action Award for his "outstanding contributions to the enrichment and culture" of the South Plains
South Plains
South Plains is a vernacular term that refers to a region in West Texas consisting of the portion of the Llano Estacado extending south of the Texas Panhandle, centered at Lubbock. While prominent in the area of petroleum production, the South Plains is mainly an agricultural region, producing a...
.
Among Wallace's colleagues at Texas Tech werer professors emeriti Paul H. Carlson
Paul H. Carlson
Paul Howard Carlson , an historian of Texas, the American West, and Native Americans, is a professor emeritus at Texas Tech University in Lubbock....
and Alwyn Barr
Alwyn Barr
Chester Alwyn Barr is an American historian who specializes in African American studies, the American South, the American Civil War, and Reconstruction. He is a professor emeritus and former history department chairman at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.-Works:Barr received his Ph.D...
, who have also written extensively on Texas topics.
In 1975, Wallace received the Outstanding Teacher Award, which involved the establishment of the Ernest Wallace Scholarship in History, from the Texas Tech chapter of Phi Alpha Theta
Phi Alpha Theta
Phi Alpha Theta is an American honor society for undergraduate and graduate students and professors of history.The society is a charter member of the Association of College Honor Societies and has over 350,000 members, with about 9,500 new members joining each year through 860 local chapters.-...
honor society. Though he suffered a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 1972, Wallace recovered to continue his academic duties and was still active professionally long after his retirement, having maintained an office in Holden Hall
William Curry Holden
William Curry Holden , also known as Curry Holden, was an historian and archaeologist. In 1937, he became the first director of the Museum of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. During his tenure, the museum gained regional and state recognition for excellence...
, where the Tech history department is based.
In addition to the Texas State and West Texas historical associations, Wallace was active in 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...
, the Organization of American Historians
Organization of American Historians
The Organization of American Historians , formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S...
, the Southern Historical Association
Southern Historical Association
The Southern Historical Association is an organization of historians focusing on the history of the Southern United States . It was organized on November 2, 1934...
, the Western Historical Association, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society, and the Texas Association of Classroom Teachers.
He was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
Church, the Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
, and the Masonic lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
. Wallace died of a second heart attack at Methodist Hospital in Lubbock. He and Mrs. Wallace are interred there at Resthaven Memorial Park. His scholarly papers are housed in the Southwest Collection at Texas Tech.