Maury Klein (born 14 March 1939 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American historian and author of books on 19th-century

American history The history of the lands that became the United States began with the arrival of the first people in the Americas around 15,000 BC. Numerous indigenous cultures formed, and many saw transformations in the 16th century away from more densely ...

and the American

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

industry.

Life

Maurice Nickell (Maury) Klein was born March 14, 1939, in Memphis, Tennessee. His father, Harry Klein (Klajnzyngier), was the son of Polish immigrants and spent his life in the women's ready-wear trade. His mother, Alice Lena Nickell, was the daughter of a

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

, physician, and sang professionally before her marriage. A nomadic childhood took him all over the country and aroused in him an interest in American history. In 1953 he landed in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

, where he graduated from East High School three years later. He earned a B.A. degree from Knox College in 1960 and went on to graduate work at

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of h ...

, where he received an M.A. degree in 1961 and a Ph.D. in history in 1965. His dissertation, done under Professor Bell Irvin Wiley, was a biography of Confederate general

Edward Porter Alexander Edward Porter Alexander (May 26, 1835 – April 28, 1910) was an American military engineer, railroad executive, planter, and author. He served first as an officer in the United States Army and later, during the American Civil War (1861–1865 ...

. Klein taught for a year at Emory before accepting a job at the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of Rhode Isla ...

in September 1964. He remained at that institution until his retirement in June 2008, teaching a wide variety of courses and writing on a diverse number of subjects. In 1973 he was promoted to full professor of history. More than once he said that, once decided on a teaching career, he majored in history because it gave him the most freedom of subject matter in the classroom and fed the broad range of his interests. He spent the year 1966-67 as a Newcomen Fellow at the Harvard Business School. Throughout his career writing has remained Klein’s greatest passion. He is the author of 18 books, along with many articles in publications ranging from scholarly journals to Sports Illustrated, essays, book reviews, and, more recently, blogs. Railroad history emerged early as one of his specialties. Along with works on southern railroads he has published a three-volume history of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...

as well as biographies of two key figures in that company’s history,

Jay Gould Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who is generally identified as one of the robber barons of the Gilded Age. His sharp and often unscrupulous business practices made hi ...

and

E. H. Harriman Edward Henry Harriman (February 20, 1848 – September 9, 1909) was an American financier and railroad executive. Early life Harriman was born on February 20, 1848, in Hempstead, New York, the son of Orlando Harriman Sr., an Episcopal clergyma ...

. The Union Pacific series drew praise as the definitive history of that road. The Gould biography offered a revised and positive portrait of that long-reviled financier. The Railroad and Locomotive Historical Society twice awarded Klein its George and Constance Hilton prize for the outstanding book in railroad history. These and other works earned Klein a reputation as one of America’s prominent business and railroad historians. Klein has also authored books on urban history, the coming of the Civil War, the stock market crash of 1929, the steam and electric revolutions, and has a forthcoming work on how America mobilized for World War II. In college, Klein kindled a love of theater. While enjoying a career acting in university and other productions, he also served for four years as chairman of the University of Rhode Island’s theater department. He served as chairman of the faculty senate and headed the university’s Honors Program and arts council. Through the years, Klein has also provided consulting services and public speaking. In 2001, he received an honorary degree from Knox College, his alma mater."Knox College Honorary Degrees , Knox College. " A nationally ranked, private, liberal arts college , Knox College. (accessed November 16, 2012). In 2011, he was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame."Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame: Dr. Maury Klein, Inducted 2011." Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame: Recognizing remarkable and famous Rhode Islanders since 1965.. http://www.riheritagehalloffame.org/inductees_detail.cfm?iid=650 (accessed November 16, 2012).

Works

In addition to his books, he has written several articles for professional journals and popular publications. *1968: "Southern railroad leaders, 1865-1893: identities and ideologies." ''Business History Review'' 42.3 (1968): 288-310. *1970: The Great Richmond Terminal *1971: Edward Porter Alexander *1972: A History of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad *1976: Prisoners of Progress: American Industrial Cities, 1850-1920 (along with Harvey A. Kantor) *1978: "In Search of Jay Gould." ''Business History Review'' 52.2 (1978): 166-199. *1986: The Life and Legend of

(nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, Outstanding Book Award of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society) *1987: Union Pacific: The Birth, 1862-1893 (Outstanding Book Award of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society) *1990: Union Pacific: The Rebirth, 1894-1969 *1990: "Competition and regulation: the railroad model." ''Business History Review'' 64.2 (1990): 311-325. *1990: "Replacement technology: the diesel as a case study." ''Railroad History'' 162 (1990): 109-120
online
*1993: The Flowering of the Third America (nominated for the Pulitzer Prize) *1994: Unfinished Business: The Railroad in American Life *1997: Days of Defiance: Sumter, Secession, Slavery, and the Civil War *2000: The Life and Legend of EH Harriman (nominated for the Pulitzer Prize) *2001: "The stock market crash of 1929: A review article." ''Business History Review'' 75.2 (2001): 325-351. *2001: "Coming full circle: The study of big business since 1950." ''Enterprise & Society'' 2.3 (2001): 425-460. *2001: Rainbow's End: The Crash of 1929 *2003: The change makers: from Carnegie to Gates, how the great entrepreneurs transformed ideas into industries *2007: The Genesis of Industrial America, 1870-1920 *2008: The Power Makers *2011: Union Pacific: The Reconfiguration, America's Greatest Railroad from 1969 to the Present *2013: A Call to Arms: Mobilizing America for World War II *2016: Stealing Games: How John McGraw Transformed Baseball with the 1911 New York Giants. *2019: "Financing the Transcontinental Railroad." Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
online

References

External links

* ebsite of Maury Klein-- As of 10 Sep 2019, it appears to be redirecting people to a "Free File Converter" website.
Quad Angles Mai 2008: ''Maury Klein: A Gifted Writer, an maginative Teacher, and an Intense Competitor''

''Rainbows End: The Crash of 1929'' Maury Klein on C-SPAN 2 (2001)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Maury 1939 births Living people 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers American male non-fiction writers