Dale Baum (born 1943) is an American historian and long time professor at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

. He researches the

political history Political history is the narrative and survey of political events, ideas, movements, organs of government, voters, parties and leaders. It is closely related to other fields of history, including diplomatic history, constitutional history, social ...

of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

Texas history The recorded history of Texas begins with the arrival of the first Spanish conquistadors in the region of North America now known as Texas in 1519, who found the region occupied by numerous Native American tribes. The name ''Texas'' derives ...

, and

quantitative research Quantitative research is a research strategy that focuses on quantifying the collection and analysis of data. It is formed from a deductive approach where emphasis is placed on the testing of theory, shaped by empiricist and positivist philosop ...

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians ha ...

. Baum has authored three books, ''The Civil War Party System'' (1984), ''The Shattering of Texas Unionism'' (1998), and ''Counterfeit Justice'' (2009).

Early life and education

Baum was born in 1943 in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. He earned a B.A. in history with a minor in Government at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

in 1965. During the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, Baum served active duty in the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

from 1967 to 1971 and was in the

Coast Guard Reserve The United States Coast Guard Reserve is the reserve component of the United States Coast Guard. It is organized, trained, administered, and supplied under the direction of the Commandant of the Coast Guard through the Assistant Commandant for R ...

until honorably discharging in 1973. He completed a M.A. at

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

in 1972. During the summer of 1973, Baum studied in the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research. He earned a Ph.D. in history with a minor in political science and sociology at University of Minnesota in 1978. While completing his graduate studies at University of Minnesota, Baum worked as a teaching and research assistant. His dissertation on

voting behavior Voting behavior is a form of Theories of political behavior, electoral behavior. Understanding voters' behavior can explain how and why decisions were made either by public decision-makers, which has been a central concern for political scientists, ...

became the basis of his 1984 book. Baum's doctoral advisors were George D. Green and Kinley J. Brauer.

Career

Baum's teaching topics include the

of the

and

, and

. He joined the faculty at

in 1978 as an assistant professor of history, later being promoted to associate professor in 1985 and full professor in 1999. Baum was a visiting

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

professor in the graduate school of international studies at

Yonsei University Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the "SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in the ...

in 2005. His book, ''Counterfeit Justice'' (2009), explores the life of

Azeline Hearne Azeline Hearne (1825-1890?), was an American slave who was freed near the end of her life, and became famous for the numerous lawsuits brought against her during the Reconstruction era. Hearne was briefly one of the wealthiest landowners in Texas ...

, a Texas

freedwoman A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), abolitionism, emancipation (gra ...

during the Reconstruction era who faced multiple lawsuits after inheriting her former owner's estate.

Personal life

Baum speaks Spanish and some Korean and French. He is well travelled and frequently lived abroad during his summers.

Selected works

* * Reviews of ''The Shattering of Texas Unionism'': * * * * * * Reviews of ''Counterfeit Justice'': * * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baum, Dale 1943 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Historians from New Jersey Georgetown College (Georgetown University) alumni University of Minnesota alumni Texas A&M University faculty 20th-century American historians 21st-century American historians 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers American male non-fiction writers Historians of the American Civil War Historians of Texas Historians of African Americans United States Coast Guard reservists Military personnel from New Jersey Historians from Texas