Walter Johnson (US academic)
Encyclopedia
Walter Johnson was a noted historian of the United States and a political scientist, who believed that given political developments in post-Second World War America, there should be no strict separation between academics and politics. He was a political progressive who believed his generation had a special responsibility to democracy.
where he took a B.A. in 1937. He then undertook graduate work at the University of Chicago
where he earned an M.A. in 1938 and his Ph.D. in history in 1941.
between 1940 and 1943. He then assumed the post of assistant professor at the same university (1943–49) then associate professor (1949–50) and professor of history (1950–66). From 1963 to 1966, Johnson held an endowned chair: the Preston and Sterling Morton Professor of History. From 1950 to 1961, he also served as the chair of the university's history department. As chair of the history department, Johnson assisted in bringing important figures to the university. These included Hannah Gray who served as president of the university, and prominent historian John Hope Franklin
. One of Johnson's graduate students, who went on to become a prominent historian of the United States, was Athan Theoharis
.
He was the Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford University during the 1957-58 academic year. In 1966, until 1982, he assumed the position of professor of history at the University of Hawaii
, Honolulu. And finally, from 1982 to 1985, he served as a visiting professor of history at Grand Valley State College in Allendale, Michigan
.
Education
Johnson began his education at Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
where he took a B.A. in 1937. He then undertook graduate work at the University of Chicago
University 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...
where he earned an M.A. in 1938 and his Ph.D. in history in 1941.
Academic career
Johnson's first academic post was that of instructor of history 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...
between 1940 and 1943. He then assumed the post of assistant professor at the same university (1943–49) then associate professor (1949–50) and professor of history (1950–66). From 1963 to 1966, Johnson held an endowned chair: the Preston and Sterling Morton Professor of History. From 1950 to 1961, he also served as the chair of the university's history department. As chair of the history department, Johnson assisted in bringing important figures to the university. These included Hannah Gray who served as president of the university, and prominent historian John Hope Franklin
John Hope Franklin
John Hope Franklin was a United States historian and past president of Phi Beta Kappa, the Organization of American Historians, the American Historical Association, and the Southern Historical Association. Franklin is best known for his work From Slavery to Freedom, first published in 1947, and...
. One of Johnson's graduate students, who went on to become a prominent historian of the United States, was Athan Theoharis
Athan Theoharis
Athan George Theoharis is an American historian, professor of history emeritus at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As well as his extensive teaching career, he is noteworthy as an expert on the Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover, and U.S...
.
He was the Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford University during the 1957-58 academic year. In 1966, until 1982, he assumed the position of professor of history at the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
, Honolulu. And finally, from 1982 to 1985, he served as a visiting professor of history at Grand Valley State College in Allendale, Michigan
Allendale Charter Township, Michigan
Allendale Charter Township is a charter township of Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 20,708...
.
Political career
Johnson's involvement in politics began in 1940 when, on his own, he made stump speeches for President Franklin Roosevelt. In 1943, because he was unable to serve in the military as a result of a failed physical exam, Johnson ran unsuccessfully for an alderman seat in Chicago, while suspecting the Chicago political machine and its money had resulted in his defeat. Johnson then worked on an Illinois senatorial campaign and in the effort to draft Adlai Stevenson as a presidential candidate in 1952 and 1953.Published works
- The Battle Against Isolation, University of Chicago Press, 1944.
- William Allen White's America, Holt, 1947.
- (Editor) Selected Letters of William Allen White, Holt, 1947. (reprint Greenwood Press, 1968)
- (Editor) Roosevelt and the Russians, Doubleday, 1949.
- How We Drafted Adlai Stevenson, Knopf, 1955.
- 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: Presidents and the People, 1929-59, Little, Brown, 1960.
- (With Francis J. Colligan) The Fulbright Program: A History, University of Chicago Press, 1965.
- The United States Since 1865, Ginn (Boston), 1965.
- (Editor) The Papers of Adlai Stevenson, eight volumes, Little, Brown, 1972-79.