Kenneth Sydney Davis (September 29, 1912 – June 10, 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 st ...

and university professor, most renowned for his series of biographies of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Davis also wrote biographies of

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

, Adlai Stevenson, and authored the first biography of General

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

, entitled ''Dwight D. Eisenhower: Soldier of Democracy''.

Biography

Davis was born in

Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in, and the county seat of, Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1 ...

, and raised in

Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city and county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. As of the 2020 c ...

. He was a 1934 graduate of Kansas State University with a degree in journalism, and received a master of science degree from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

in 1936. During his varied career, Davis was a journalism instructor at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

, a war correspondent attached to General Eisenhower's headquarters 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 ...

, a member of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Relations Staff of the State Department, and a professor of history at both Kansas State and the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

. He also worked as speech writer for Presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson during the 1956 campaign.

Awards

Davis was awarded the prestigious

Francis Parkman Prize The Francis Parkman Prize, named after Francis Parkman, is awarded by the Society of American Historians for the best book in American history each year. Its purpose is to promote literary distinction in historical writing. The Society of American ...

in 1973 for his book ''FDR: The Beckoning of Destiny'', which was also a nominee for the

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

. In addition, his next two volumes on Roosevelt were both chosen as among the ten best books of the year by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. Davis was also a

Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the a ...

in 1974.

Partial bibliography

*''Dwight D. Eisenhower: Soldier of

Democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

'' (, 2004) (''reissue'') *''FDR: The Beckoning of Destiny: 1882-1928'' (, 2004) (''Francis Parkman Prize Edition'') *''FDR: The War President: 1940-1943'' (, 2000) *''FDR: New York Years: 1928-1933'' (, 1985) *''FDR: The New Deal Years: 1933-1937'' (, 1986) *''FDR: Into the Storm: 1937-1940'' (, 1993) *''

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

: A Bicentennial History'' (, 1976) *''

Water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

'' (Series: LIFE Science Library) with Luna B. Leopold (1966) *''Experience of War: The United States in

'' (1965) *''The Hero:

Charles A. Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

'' (1959)

References

External links

Kenneth S. Davis' Proofs of ''Soldier of Democracy: A Biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1943-45''. Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Kenneth S. 1912 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers American male biographers People from Salina, Kansas Writers from Manhattan, Kansas Kansas State University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Kansas State University faculty University of Kansas faculty New York University faculty American war correspondents 20th-century American biographers 20th-century American male writers