Anderson Hunter Dupree (29 January 1921 – 30 November 2019) was an American historian and one of the pioneer historians of the

history of science and technology The history of science and technology (HST) is a field of history that examines the understanding of the natural world (science) and the ability to manipulate it (technology) at different points in time. This academic discipline also studies the c ...

in the United States. He died in November 2019 at the age of 98.

Early education

The son of a lawyer, George W. Dupree, and his wife, Sarah Hunter, he attended Oberlin College, where he earned his bachelor of arts degree ( summa cum laude) in 1942. Upon completion of his undergraduate work, he served the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1942 to 1946, and became a Lieutenant in the

U.S. Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...

. At the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Dupree married Marguerite Louise (Betty) Arnold (c. 1918-May 27, 2014) of Seattle on July 18, 1946, having two children including the historian Marguerite Dupree and the harpsichord maker Anderson H. Dupree. Hunter Dupree entered

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, where he completed his master's degree in 1947, and his Ph.D. in 1952, having written his doctoral dissertation on Asa Gray, titled "Asa Gray: The Development of a Statesman of Science, 1810–1848". Marguerite earned a Ph.D. in history from Harvard and also taught at universities.

Academic career

In 1950, Dupree took up his first academic position as assistant professor of history at Texas Technological College (now

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sy ...

) in Lubbock, Texas, where he remained until 1952, when he was appointed a research fellow at th
Gray Herbarium
at

. He served two appointments there in 1952–54 and 1955–56. In addition, he served as project director on grants at the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

, 1953-55. In 1956,

the University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

appointed Dupree as visiting assistant professor of history, then promoted to associate professor in 1958, and professor of history in 1961. He served additionally as assistant to the chancellor in 1960–62, and director of the Bancroft Library in 1965–66. In addition, Dupree was a consultant to the committee on science and public policy at the National Academy of Sciences in 1963–64. He remained at Berkeley until 1968. Despite being a competent

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

, Dupree's tenure in the Bancroft Library directorship was brief and stormy. He was appointed to the directorship in June 1965 but clashed repeatedly with the staff over library internal policy, which sparked a near-revolution among its employees. Part of the disagreement involved Dupree's emphasis on modernizing traditional library practices and the way collections, particularly manuscripts, were handled in the collections. He also required an accounting for long-term projects on which the library devoted resources but could show few actual results. In January 1966 The UC-Berkeley president returned him to the history faculty that same June. In 1968, Brown University appointed Dupree George L. Littlefield Professor of History, a position he held until his retirement in 1981. While in this post, he served as a consultant to the Panel on Science and Technology and Astronautics,

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, 1969–73; trustee of the American Textile History Museum, a member of the NASA Historical Advisory Committee, and the Atomic Energy Commission's Historical Advisory Committee.

Awards

* In 1976, he received the Presidential Award of the

New York Academy of Sciences The New York Academy of Sciences (originally the Lyceum of Natural History) was founded in January 1817 as the Lyceum of Natural History. It is the fourth oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization wi ...

and was selected as a Fellow, Center for Advanced Studies,

National Humanities Center The National Humanities Center (NHC) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities. The NHC operates as a privately incorporated nonprofit and is not part of any university or federal agency. The center was planned under the auspi ...

in 1978-79.''Who's Who'' on-line * In 1990, he was awarded the

George Sarton Medal The George Sarton Medal is the most prestigious award given by the History of Science Society. It has been awarded annually since 1955. It is awarded to an historian of science from the international community who became distinguished for "a lifet ...

Published works

• 'Some Letters from

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...

to Jeffries Wyman', ''Isis'' Vol.42,Part 2., No.128. (June, 1951), pp. 104–110. • '

Thomas Nuttall Thomas Nuttall (5 January 1786 – 10 September 1859) was an English botanist and zoologist who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841. Nuttall was born in the village of Long Preston, near Settle in the West Riding of Yorkshire and ...

's Controversy With Asa Gray', ''Rhodora'', Vol. 54, (1952), pp. 293–303. • 'Science vs. the Military: Dr. James Morrow and the

Perry Expedition The Perry Expedition ( ja, 黒船来航, , "Arrival of the Black Ships") was a diplomatic and military expedition during 1853–1854 to the Tokugawa Shogunate involving two separate voyages by warships of the United States Navy. The goals of thi ...

', ''The

Pacific Historical Review The ''Pacific Historical Review'' is the official publication of the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association. It is a quarterly academic journal published by University of California Press. It was established in 1932 under foun ...

'', vol. 22, no. 1, (1953), pp. 29–37. • ' Jeffries Wyman's views on

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

', ''Isis'', vol. 44 (1953), pp. 243–246. • ''Science in the Federal Government, a history of policies and activities to 1940.'' (1957, 1986). • '' Asa Gray, 1810-1888'' (1959, 1968, 1988). • "What manuscripts the historian wants saved", ''Isis'', vol. 53 (1962), pp. 63–66. • ''

Darwiniana ''Darwiniana: Essays and Reviews Pertaining to Darwinism'' is a collection of essays by botanist Asa Gray, first published in 1876. These widely read essays both defended the theory of evolution from the standpoint of botany and sought reconciliat ...

; essays and reviews pertaining to Darwinism'' by Asa Gray; edited A. Hunter Dupree. (1963) • ''Science and the emergence of modern America, 1865-1916'', edited by A. Hunter Dupree. (1963) • ''Some general implications of the research of the Harvard University Program on Technology and Society'' edited by Emmanuel G. Mesthene. Comment: the anticipation of change by

Simon Ramo Simon "Si" Ramo (May 7, 1913 – June 27, 2016) was an American engineer, businessman, and author. He led development of microwave and missile technology and is sometimes known as the father of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). He ...

. Comment: Is technology predictable? by

Peter F. Drucker Peter Ferdinand Drucker (; ; November 19, 1909 – November 11, 2005) was an Austrian-American management consultant, educator, and author, whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of the modern business co ...

. Comment: the role of

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and Reproducibility, reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in me ...

in society and the need for historical perspective by A. Hunter Dupree. Comment on the comments by Emmanuel G. Mesthene. (1969) • "The crisis in authority", ''Brown Alumni Monthly'', vol. 70, no. 1, (1969) • ''Science and society: past, present, and future'' edited by Nicholas H. Steneck with a contribution by A. Hunter Dupree (1975) • ''Sir Joseph Banks and the origins of science policy''. James Ford Bell Lecture; no. 22. (1984).

Manuscript collections

* Oberlin College Library RG 30/417
A. Hunter Dupree Family Papers, 1830-2002
* Brown University Library
Anderson Hunter Dupree Papers

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dupree, A. Hunter 1921 births 2019 deaths People from Hillsboro, Texas Oberlin College alumni Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers 21st-century American historians United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers Historians of science Historians of technology Historians of the United States Brown University faculty University of California, Berkeley College of Letters and Science faculty Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Historians from Texas Historians from California 20th-century American male writers Military personnel from Texas