Joe Bertram Frantz (January 16, 1917 – November 16, 1993) was a

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 ...

from the U.S. state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

who specialized in the

American West The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

Early life

Joe Bertram Frantz was born on January 16, 1917 in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

. He was an adopted son of Ezra A. Frantz and the Mary (Buckley) Frantz who reared him in Weatherford, Texas. In 1934, he graduated from Weatherford High School. Frantz attended the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

and obtained a bachelor's degree in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in history there, with the

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

entitled "The newspapers of the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Mex ...

". During his undergraduate tenure at UT, he was a staff member of the ''

Daily Texan ''The Daily Texan'' is the student newspaper of the University of Texas at Austin. It is one of the largest college newspapers in the United States, with a daily circulation of roughly 12,000 during the fall and spring semesters, and it is among t ...

'' newspaper, a member of the Rusk Literary Society, and the

Sigma Delta Chi The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, letter ...

Journalism Honor Society. His first job was as acting advisor and archivist at the

San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site The San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site includes the location of the Battle of San Jacinto and the museum ship . It is located off the Houston Ship Channel in unincorporated Harris County, Texas near the city of Houston. The site was desig ...

east of

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, Texas.

Career

After earning a degree in journalism at the University of Texas, Frantz worked as reporter and also worked for his father. Before long, however, returned to the University of Texas and entered a master's program in history. His thesis advisors were

Eugene C. Barker Eugene Campbell Barker (November 1, 1874 – October 22, 1956) was an American historian at the University of Texas, the managing director of the Texas State Historical Association, and the editor of the ''Southwestern Historical Quarterly''. He ...

and William C. Binkly. In 1840, he completed his thesis titled, "The Newspapers of the Republic of Texas." In 1943, Frantz joined 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 ...

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 opposin ...

. A lieutenant, he was involved in eight engagements as a communications officer in the South Pacific. In 1948, Frantz earned his

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 ...

from the University of Texas with the dissertation entitled "Infinite pursuit: the story of Gail Borden", a study of the

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

condensed milk Condensed milk is cow's milk from which water has been removed (roughly 60% of it). It is most often found with sugar added, in the form of ''sweetened condensed milk'' (SCM), to the extent that the terms "condensed milk" and "sweetened condens ...

. With his highest degree in hand, Frantz was then invited to join the University of Texas faculty as an

assistant professor Assistant Professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States and Canada. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doctoral degree and general ...

. He was elevated in 1953 to

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...

and in 1959 to full professor. In 1959, with Julian E. Choate, he co-authored ''The American Cowboy: The Myth and the Reality''. During the 1960s, 1970s, and into the 1980s, Frantz continued to teach history while serving on many boards. He was president of the

Southwestern Social Science Association The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east ...

(1963),

Southern Historical Association The Southern Historical Association is a professional academic organization of historians focusing on the history of the Southern United States. It was organized on November 2, 1934. Its objectives are the promotion of interest and research in Sou ...

(19771978), and the

Western History Association The Western History Association (WHA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was founded in 1961 at Santa Fe, New Mexico by Ray Allen Billington et al. Included in the field of study are the American West and western Canada. The Western Histor ...

, (19781979). From 1964, he was an advisory board member of the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

for two decades. He was a commissioner for the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission of Texas (19751979). He directed the

Texas State Historical Association The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is a non-profit educational organization, dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, on March 2, 1897. , TSHA moved their offices from Austin to the University of N ...

for a decade, leading to the completion of the Volume 3 of the ''Handbook of Texas'' in 1976. Frantz proposed a oral history project to

Lyndon Baines Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

near the end of his presidency. After the President approved of the project and pledged his cooperation, Frantz managed a team of oral historians to record interviews with Johnson, his wife, and many associates of the President. From 1968 until 1974, the Lyndon B. Johnson Oral History Project conducted about 700 interviews. Michael Gillette took over management of the project and added about 500 interviews. Biographers such as

Merle Miller Merle Dale Miller (May 17, 1919 – June 10, 1986) was an American writer, novelist, and author who is perhaps best remembered for his best-selling biography of Harry S. Truman, and as a pioneer in the gay rights movement. Miller came out ...

Robert Dallek Robert A. Dallek (born May 16, 1934) is an American historian specializing in the presidents of the United States, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon. He retired as a history professor at Bost ...

, and

Robert Caro Robert Allan Caro (born October 30, 1935) is an American journalist and author known for his biographies of United States political figures Robert Moses and Lyndon B. Johnson. After working for many years as a reporter, Caro wrote '' The Power ...

relied on these oral histories to research their books. After his retirement from the University of Texas, Frantz joined the faculty at Corpus Christi State University in Corpus Christi, Texas, now known as

Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi (Texas A&M–Corpus Christi, TAMU-CC, A&M-Corpus Christi, or A&M-CC) is a public research university in Corpus Christi, Texas. It is part of the Texas A&M University System and classified among "R2: Doctora ...

. While teaching in Corpus Christi, he completed two books. One was a memoir of the University of Texas, ''The Forty-Acre Follies'' (1983), which was recognized by the Southwestern Booksellers Association as "best nonfiction Texas book of the year. He co-authored a book with Mike Cox about the settlement of Texas titled, ''Lure of the Land: Texas County Maps and the History of Settlement''. The

Texas Historical Commission The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas. The commission also identifies Recorded Texas Historic La ...

recognized this book with its Fehrenbach Award.

Personal life

In 1939, Frantz married Weatherford, Texas native, Helen Andrews Boswell. They had two daughters.

Death

n November 23, 1993, Frantz died at Hermann Hospital in Houston due to complications from diabetes. He is interred at

Texas State Cemetery The Texas State Cemetery (TSC) is a cemetery located on about just east of downtown Austin, the capital of the U.S. state of Texas. Originally the burial place of Edward Burleson, Texas Revolutionary general and vice-president of the Republic of ...

in Austin.

Publications

Frantz published academic books, journal articles, school textbooks, and popular histories,

Books

* ''Gail Borden, Dairyman to a Nation''. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1951. * (with Julian Ernest Choate). ''The American Cowboy: The Myth and the Reality.'' Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1955. * (with David G. McComb) ''Houston, a Students' Guide to Localized History''. New York: Teachers College Press, 1971. * ''The Driskill Hotel.'' Austin: Encino Press, 1973. * ''Texas: A Bicentennial History''. New York: Norton, 1976. **later version published as ''Texas, a History''. New York: W.W. Norton, 1984. * ''The Forty-Acre Follies''. Austin: Texas Monthly Press, 1983. (history of the University of Texas) * ''Texas History Movies: The Story of the Lone Star State.''

, Texas: Pepper Jones Martinez, Inc, 1985. * (with Mike Cox, and Roger A. Griffin) ''Lure of the Land: Texas County Maps and the History of Settlement''. College Station, for the Texas: Texas General Land Office by

Texas A&M University Press Texas A&M University Press (also known informally as TAMU Press) is a scholarly publishing house associated with Texas A&M University. It was founded in 1974 and is located in College Station, Texas, in the United States. Overview The Texas A&M ...

, 1988.

Juvenile books

* ''Texas and Its History''. Dallas: Pepper Jones Martinez, 1978. * (with James B. Kracht) ''Texas: The Study of Our State''. Glenview,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

: Scott, Foresman, 1988. ** also published in Spanish as ''Texas, estudio de nuestro estado''

References

*Obituary, ''

Fort Worth Star-Telegram The ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' is an American daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and Tarrant County, the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History In May 1905, Amon G. Carter acc ...

'', November 16, 1993

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Frantz, Joe Bertram 1917 births 1993 deaths Historians of Texas Historians of the American West Moody College of Communication alumni University of Texas at Austin faculty People from Dallas People from Weatherford, Texas Writers from Austin, Texas People from Corpus Christi, Texas United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War II American non-fiction writers Texas Democrats Burials at Texas State Cemetery 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers Southern Methodists American United Methodists 20th-century Methodists Historians from Texas 20th-century American male writers Biographers Archivists