Dorothy Olga Johansen (19 May 1904 – 13 December 1999) was an American

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 stu ...

of the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

Life and work

Dorothy Johansen was born in Seaside, Oregon on 19 May 1904. She taught school in

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

from 1922 to 1927 and then in

Yakima, Washington Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, and the state's 11th-largest city by population. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The uninco ...

, in 1927–30. She received her B.A. from Reed College in 1933, her M.A. from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

two years later and her

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in 1941 from the same institution. Johansen became an instructor in history at Reed in 1938; she was promoted to assistant professor in 1943 and professor of history and humanities in 1958 until her retirement in 1969. In 1941 she received an award for Pacific history from the Pacific Coast branch of the

American Historical Association The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...

. Johansen was a director of the

Oregon Historical Society The Oregon Historical Society (OHS) is an organization that encourages and promotes the study and understanding of the history of the Oregon Country, within the broader context of U.S. history. Incorporated in 1898, the Society collects, preser ...

and a member of the advisory boards of the '' Pacific Northwest Quarterly'' and '' America: History and Life''. She also received the Oregon Historical Society Award in 1958. A year prior, she wrote ''Empire of the Columbia: A History of The Pacific Northwest'', with Charles M. Gates. In 1959 Johansen wrote ''Robert Newell’s Memoranda'' and ''Voyage of the Columbia: Around the World with

John Boit John Boit Jr (15 October 1774 – 8 March 1829) was one of the first Americans involved in the maritime fur trade. He sailed as fifth mate under Captain Robert Gray on the second voyage of the ''Columbia Rediviva'', 1790–1793. During the voyage ...

, 1790–1793''. In 1966 she was president of the Pacific Coast branch of the American Historical Association.Scanlon & Cosner, p. 122

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johansen, Dorothy 1904 births 1999 deaths Reed College alumni University of Washington alumni Reed College faculty 20th-century American historians People from Seaside, Oregon Educators from Oregon 20th-century American women American women academics