Geoffrey Blodgett (October 13, 1931 – November 15, 2001) was Robert S. Danforth Professor of History at Oberlin College, located in

Oberlin, Ohio Oberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, 31 miles southwest of Cleveland. Oberlin is the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students. The town is the birthplace of th ...

. As a student at Oberlin from 1949-1953, he was a student of Oberlin history professor

Robert Samuel Fletcher The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

He was also a wide receiver on the Yeomen, the college's men's football team. After graduating

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

from Oberlin in 1953, Blodgett served two years with 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 ...

in the Pacific Fleet. He received a PhD at

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 ...

in 1961, and returned to the college a year later to join the History Department. His dissertation focused on a group of political reformers of the late 19th century who left the Republican Party to join the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, the

Mugwump The Mugwumps were Republican political activists in the United States who were intensely opposed to political corruption. They were never formally organized. Typically they switched parties from the Republican Party by supporting Democratic ...

s. Throughout his career as a professor he focused on the history of

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, publishing several books and many articles. He also published many articles on the history of Oberlin College, continuing the work of Fletcher. His articles on Oberlin have been collected in ''Oberlin History. Essays and Impressions'' (2006).

Selected publications

*Geoffrey Blodgett (1966). ''The Gentle Reformers: Massachusetts Democrats in the Cleveland Era''.

Press. *Geoffrey Blodgett (1985). ''Oberlin Architecture, College and Town: A Guide to Its Social History''.

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...

Press. *Elizabeth A. Brown and Geoffrey Blodgett (1992) ''Robert Mangold: The Oberlin Window''. Oberlin College. *Geoffrey Blodgett (1999). ''Cass Gilbert: The Early Years''.

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Historical Society Press.

References

*Clayton Koppes (2002).
A Tribute to a Scholar.
''Oberlin Alumni Magazine''. Vol 97, No 4. {{DEFAULTSORT:Blogdett, Geoffrey 1931 births 2001 deaths Oberlin College alumni Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Oberlin College faculty 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers