Robert M. Utley
Encyclopedia
Robert Marshall Utley is an author and historian
who has written sixteen books on the history of the American West. He was a former chief historian of the National Park Service
. Fellow historians commend Utley as the finest historian of the American frontier in the 19th century.
The Western History Association
annually gives out the Robert M. Utley Book Award for the best book published on the military history of the frontier and western North America (including Mexico
and Canada
) from prehistory
through the 20th century.
Utley lives in Scottsdale, Arizona
, with his wife Dr. Melody Webb, also a historian.
. During his childhood, his parents, Don Williams Utley and Valeria Haney, moved him to northwestern Indiana
, where he attended high school. Later, he attended nearby Purdue University
, receiving a Bachelor of Sciences in history. He then attended Indiana University
for graduate school, receiving a Master of Arts in history in 1952. Following his graduation, Utley served in the U.S. Army
, and later worked for the National Park Service
.
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...
who has written sixteen books on the history of the American West. He was a former chief historian of the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
. Fellow historians commend Utley as the finest historian of the American frontier in the 19th century.
The Western History Association
Western History Association
The Western History Association was organized in 1961 at Santa Fe, New Mexico, to "promote the study of the North American West in its varied aspects and broadest sense." Included in the field of study are the American West and western Canada. The Western History Association is headquartered at...
annually gives out the Robert M. Utley Book Award for the best book published on the military history of the frontier and western North America (including Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) from prehistory
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
through the 20th century.
Utley lives in Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
, with his wife Dr. Melody Webb, also a historian.
Early life and education
Utley was born on October 31, 1929 in Bauxite, ArkansasBauxite, Arkansas
Bauxite is a town in Saline County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 432 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is named for the mineral bauxite, the source ore for aluminum, which was found in...
. During his childhood, his parents, Don Williams Utley and Valeria Haney, moved him to northwestern Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, where he attended high school. Later, he attended nearby Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, receiving a Bachelor of Sciences in history. He then attended Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
for graduate school, receiving a Master of Arts in history in 1952. Following his graduation, Utley served in the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, and later worked for the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
.
Selected bibliography
- Lone Star Lawmen: The Second Century of the Texas Rangers. Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, USA (January 30, 2007). - Lone Star Justice: The First Century of the Texas Rangers. Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, USA (March 22, 2002). - A Life Wild and Perilous: Mountain Men and the Paths to the Pacific. Henry Holt & Company (1997).
- The Lance and the Shield: The Life of Sitting Bull. Henry Holt & Company (1993).
- Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life. University of Nebraska PressUniversity of Nebraska PressThe University of Nebraska Press, founded in 1941, is a publisher of scholarly and popular-press books. It is the second-largest state university press in the United States and, including private institutions, ranks among the 10 largest university presses in the United States...
(1989). - Cavalier in Buckskin: George Armstrong Custer and the Western Military Frontier. University of Oklahoma PressUniversity of Oklahoma PressThe University of Oklahoma Press is the publishing arm of the University of Oklahoma. It has been in operation for over seventy-five years, and was the first university press established in the American Southwest. It was founded by William Bennett Bizzell, the fifth president of the University of...
(1988). - High Noon In Lincoln: Violence on the Western Frontier. University of New Mexico PressUniversity of New Mexico PressThe University of New Mexico Press, founded in 1929, is a university press that is part of the University of New Mexico. Its administrative offices are in the Office of Research , on the campus of UNM in Albuquerque....
(1987). - The Indian Frontier of the American West, 1846-1890. University of New Mexico PressUniversity of New Mexico PressThe University of New Mexico Press, founded in 1929, is a university press that is part of the University of New Mexico. Its administrative offices are in the Office of Research , on the campus of UNM in Albuquerque....
(1983). - Clash of Cultures: Fort Bowie and the Chiricahua Apaches. National Park ServiceNational Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
Washington DC (1977). - Frontier Regulars; the United States Army and the Indian, 1866-1891. MacmillanMacmillan PublishersMacmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
, New York (1973). - Frontiersmen in Blue; the United States Army and the Indian, 1848-1865. MacmillanMacmillan PublishersMacmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
, New York (1967). - The Last Days of the Sioux Nation. Yale University PressYale University PressYale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....
, New Haven, CT (1963).