author
1866–1927
Best known for clear, wide-ranging history books for students, this American historian also worked as a university professor and editor. His writing moved from medieval Europe to early U.S. politics, always with an eye toward making the past readable.
by Samuel Bannister Harding
Born in Indianapolis on July 29, 1866, he became a historian, teacher, and textbook writer whose books reached a broad audience. Library of Congress records and library catalogs connect him with works including The Story of the Middle Ages, The Story of Europe, and The Contest Over the Ratification of the Federal Constitution in the State of Massachusetts.
His academic career included service at Indiana University, where contemporary journal front matter identifies him as a professor of European history. Indiana University alumni material also notes that he earned an A.B. and A.M. there before receiving a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1898.
He also helped shape historical publishing beyond the classroom. Issues of the Indiana Magazine of History list him on the board of editors, and archival records from the American Historical Association show his involvement in discussions about history teaching. He died in Minneapolis on January 29, 1927.