Robert McNutt McElroy (December 28, 1872 in
Perryville, Kentucky
Perryville () is a home rule-class city along the Chaplin River in western Boyle County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 751 at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census. It is part of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Hist ...
- January 15, 1959 in
Līhu'e, Hawaii)
[archives.nypl.org](_blank)
/ref> was a professor of history at Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
. He became a jingoistic
Jingoism is nationalism in the form of aggressive and proactive foreign policy, such as a country's advocacy for the use of threats or actual force, as opposed to peaceful relations, in efforts to safeguard what it perceives as its national inter ...
advocate of a strong national defense during World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, working with the Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
and the National Security League
The National Security League (NSL) was an American patriotic, nationalistic, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that supported a greatly-expanded military based upon universal service, the naturalization and Americanization of immigrants, America ...
(NSL). A popular historian in his day, he published biographies of Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
and Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...
, and respected histories of the states of Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
and 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 ...
and the conquest of 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 ...
, none of which are much cited today.
Biography
McElroy was born in Kentucky to William Thomas Eliza Casseday McElroy. He studied at the University of Leipzig
Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...
, University of Berlin
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...
, Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, and St. John's University, Shanghai
St. John's University (SJU) was a Christian university in Shanghai. Founded in 1879 by American missionaries, it was one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in China, often regarded as the Harvard of China.
After the founding of th ...
, China. He married Louise Robinson Booker McElroy (1874–1942) on May 21, 1900; they had two daughters, Katharine Louise McElroy Kent (1902–1986), and Elizabeth Hunt McElroy (1901–1965).
In 1898–1916 McElroy was a professor of history at Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
.["Robert McElroy, Educator, Dead," ''The New York Times'', January 17, 1959.] An adamant opponent of "provincial thinking", he was well regarded by historians in the United States and Great Britain, and in 1912 he succeeded Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
as the chair of the Princeton department of history and politics. In 1916–1917 he became the first American professor to teach in China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
on an official exchange program
A student exchange program is a program in which students from a secondary school (high school) or university study abroad at one of their institution's partner institutions.
A student exchange program may involve international travel, but d ...
.["Dr. R. McN. McElroy Back," ''The New York Times'', December 1, 1933.]
In April 1918 McElroy accused practically every citizen in the state of Wisconsin of treason. McElroy was addressing some University of Wisconsin
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 States, t ...
Army junior cadets on behalf of the NSL in the rain on the college's campus. The acoustics made it difficult to hear him, and the wet cadets fidgeted throughout his speech. McElroy grew increasingly angry as he spoke, convinced the cadets were ignoring him. Finally McElroy—whether in exasperation or because he truly believed it—accused the students and the university's faculty of treason. But since no one could hear him, there was no response to his statement. McElroy then broadened his accusation to include the chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin.
Location
The Wi ...
(who was also in attendance) and the entire population of the state of disloyalty as well. To make matters worse, McElroy published these accusations in a number of newspaper articles. When McElroy's statements became widely known, the public and press turned on the NSL and accused it of xenophobia
Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...
and fanaticism
Fanaticism (from the Latin adverb ''fānāticē'' ren-''fānāticus''; enthusiastic, ecstatic; raging, fanatical, furious is a belief or behavior involving uncritical zeal or an obsessive enthusiasm.
Definitions
Philosopher George Santayana ...
. Many mainstream supporters of the League, unaware of the jingoistic tendencies of some of the more senior members of the organization's inner circle, quit in protest.
During the 1920s and 1930s he taught at Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
and other institutions of higher education in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. In 1925–1939 he succeeded Samuel Eliot Morison
Samuel Eliot Morison (July 9, 1887 – May 15, 1976) was an American historian noted for his works of maritime history and American history that were both authoritative and popular. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912, and ta ...
as the second Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Professor of American History
The Harold Vyvyan Harmsworth Professorship is an endowed chair in American history at the University of Oxford, tenable for one year. The Harmsworth Professorship was established by Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere (1868–1940 ...
at Oxford University.
He died in Līhu'e, Hawaii and was buried in Princeton Cemetery
Princeton Cemetery is located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the Nassau Presbyterian Church. John F. Hageman in his 1878 history of Princeton, New Jersey refers to the cemetery as "The Westminster Abbey of the United State ...
in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...
.
Works
* ''Kentucky in the Nation's History'' (1909
online edition
* ''The Winning of the Far West: A History of the Regaining of Texas, of the Mexican War, and the Oregon Question; and of the Successive Additions to the Territory of the United States, Within the Continent of America: 1829–1867'', New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1914
online edition
* ''The Great Virginia Rebellion of 1676; An Address Delivered by Prof. Robert M. McElroy ... before the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New York on November 9, 1911 ... ub.under the authority of the Council by the Committee on Historical Documents and the Secretary, November, 1912'', New York, 191
online edition
* ''The Representative Idea in History'', 1917
* ''The Ideals of Our War : Address by Robert McNutt McElroy ... at Speaker's training camp for education in patriotic service and Conference of organizations engaged in patriotic education, Chautauqua, N.Y., July 3, 1917'', New York: National Security League, 1919
online edition
* ''The American Constitution and the Chinese Republic: A Sketch Designed for the Use of Speakers on Constitution Day'', China Society of America, 192
online edition
* ''Grover Cleveland: The Man and the Statesman'' (2 vols.), New York: Harper & Brothers, 1923. The first full-length biography.
/ref
vol. 2 online
* ''Economic History of the United States'', G.P. Putnam's Sons, 192
online edition
* ''The March of Man: A Chronological Record of Peoples and Events from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day, Comprising an Historical Atlas of 96 pages, Comparative Time Charts in Seven Sections and 64 Plates of Illustration'', New York: Encyclopædia Britannica, 1935
online edition
* ''Jefferson Davis: The Unreal and the Real'' (1937)
References
Further reading
*"Dr. R. McN. McElroy Back." ''The New York Times''. December 1, 1933.
*"Educators Discuss War." ''The New York Times''. July 27, 1917.
*Edwards, John Carver. ''Patriots In Pinstripe: Men of the National Security League''. Washington D.C.: University Press of America, 1982.
*"Historians at Princeton." ''The New York Times''. May 3, 1914.
*"McElroy Going to China." ''The New York Times''. April 23, 1916.
*"Oxford Seeks American." ''The New York Times''. June 5, 1925.
*"Princeton Rites for McEIroy." ''Associated Press''. January 24, 1959.
*"Robert McElroy, Educator, Dead." ''The New York Times''. January 17, 1959.
*Rood, Henry. "The Young China and the Old." ''The New York Times''. May 20, 1923.
*"Schools to Take Up Patriotic Campaign." ''The New York Times''. March 1, 1918.
*"Sharply Rebukes McElroy." ''Associated Press''. March 1, 1919.
*Shulman, Mark R. "The Progressive Era Origins of the National Security Act." ''Dickinson Law Review''. 104 (Winter 2000).
External links
*
Robert McNutt McElroy papers
at the New York Public Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McElroy, Robert McNutt
1872 births
1959 deaths
American historians
Burials at Princeton Cemetery
Historians of the United States
People from Perryville, Kentucky
New Jersey Republicans