Edward Mead Earle (1894 – June 23, 1954) was an American author and university lecturer who specialized in the role of the military in foreign relations. He was a consultant to various departments of the U.S. government, especially during

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 ...

. For twenty years he was a professor in the School of Economics and Politics at the

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States, is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent schola ...

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

Education and career

Earle got his B.A., M.A., and later his Ph.D. at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1923. On February 11, 1919, he married Beatrice Lowndes. He joined the faculty of the Institute for Advanced Study on September 1, 1934 and remained there until his death in 1954. According to David Ekbladh, writing in the journal International Security, Earle and his foundation, government, and university collaborators had significant influence on the evolution of

security studies __NOTOC__ Security studies, also known as international security studies, is an academic sub-field within the wider discipline of international relations that studies organized violence, military conflict, national security, and international ...

as a separate field, with effects that are still felt today."Present at the Creation: Edward Mead Earle and the Depression-Era Origin of Security Studies"
''International Security'', volume 36, issue 3, pages 107-141 Earle, played another prominent role during the war. He helped establish the Department of Research and Analysis of the Office of Strategic Services. Earle was the inaugural winner of the

George Louis Beer Prize The George Louis Beer Prize is an award given by the American Historical Association for the best book in European international history from 1895 to the present written by a United States citizen or permanent resident. The prize was created in 1923 ...

given by 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 ...

, in 1923, for his book ''Turkey, the Great Powers, and the Bagdad Railway''. For his service in World War II Edward M. Earle received the Presidential Medal for Merit in 1946. An illness on June 2, 1954, the day he was presented with Columbia University's honorary degree of

Doctor of Humane Letters The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (; DHumLitt; DHL; or LHD) is an honorary degree awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society. The criteria for awarding the degree differ ...

, caused his hospitalization at the

Hospital for Special Surgery Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is a hospital in New York City that specializes in orthopedic surgery and the treatment of rheumatologic conditions. Founded in 1863 by James Knight, HSS is the oldest orthopedic hospital in the United States ...

, where he died on June 23 at the age of 60. He and his wife, Beatrice, were the parents of a daughter, Rosamond."E. M. Earle Dead; Military Expert" (''The New York Times'', June 25, 1954, p.21)
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Works

* (1923) ''Turkey, the Great Powers, and the Bagdad Railway: A Study in Imperialism'', New York: Macmillan, New York, OCLC Number 164691663 * (1943) ''Makers of Modern Strategy: Military Thought from Machiavelli to Hitler''; with the collaboration of Gordon A. Craig and Felix Gilbert, Princeton University Press, OCLC Number 230143761 * (1951) ''Modern France: Problems of the Third and Fourth Republics'', with Warren C. Baum, Russell & Russell, New York, OCLC Number 1872591

References

External links

Home page of Edward M. Earle at The Institute for Advanced Study

The papers of Edward Mead Earle at Princeton University Library

Albert - The Digital Repository of the IAS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Earle, Edward Mead 1894 births 1954 deaths American military historians 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers Institute for Advanced Study faculty Columbia University faculty Columbia University alumni Medal for Merit recipients 20th-century American male writers