Nancy Nichols Barker (1925 – 1994) was a professor of history at 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, 11,07 ...

Early life

Barker was born on December 26, 1925, in Mt. Vernon, New York. She received a bachelor's degree at

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...

in 1946 and master's and doctoral degrees at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

in 1947 and 1955, respectively.

Career

Barker taught briefly at the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 ma ...

and joined the faculty of the

in 1955. She was a specialist in French diplomatic history. Barker was the author of several books, including ''The Empress Eugenie and the Foreign Policy of the Second Empire'' (1967), ''The French Experience in Mexico, 1821-1861: A History of Constant Misunderstanding'' (1979), and ''Phillippe, Duke of Orleans (1640-1701): Brother to the Sun King'' (1989). She also translated and edited ''The French Legation in Texas (1971-1973)''. With Marvin L. Brown Jr., Barker edited ''Diplomacy in an Age of Nationalism: Essays in Honor of Lynn Marshall Case'' (1971). Her work as the translator and editor of ''The French Legation in Texas'' won her the ''

Gilbert Chinard Gilbert Chinard (1881–1972) was a French-American historian, professor emeritus, who authored over 40 books. Born on October 17, 1881 in Chatellerault, France, to Hilaire and Marie (Blanchard) Chinard, educated at the Universities of Poiti ...

Prize'', the Summerfield G. Roberts Award, and the Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History. She also won the

American Historical Society 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 ...

Leo Gershoy Award The Leo Gershoy Award is a book prize awarded by the American Historical Association for the best publication in English dealing with the history of Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Endowed in 1975 by the Gershoy family and first ...

in 1989 for ''Brother to the Sun King''. Barker was a member of 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 ...

, the Society for French Historical Studies and the Western Society for French Historical Studies.

Death

Barker died on March 30, 1994, at the age of 68.

Works

* ''Distaff Diplomacy: The Empress Eugénie and the Foreign Policy of the Second Empire'', 1967 * ''The French Experience in Mexico, 1821 - 1861 : A History of Constant Misunderstanding'', 1979 * ''Brother to the Sun King : Philippe, Duke of Orléans'', 1989 Translator and editor of the two-volume : * ''The French Legation in Texas'', 1973 Editor, with Marvin L. Brown: * ''Diplomacy in an Age of Nationalism: Essays in Honor of Lynn Marshall Case'', 1971

References

External links

* http://www.utexas.edu/faculty/council/2000-2001/memorials/AMR/Barker/barker.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Nancy Nichols Vassar College alumni University of Texas at Austin faculty 1925 births 1994 deaths American women historians 20th-century American historians Historians of France Historians of Texas University of Pennsylvania alumni 20th-century American women writers