Robert Vance Bruce (December 19, 1923 in

Malden, Massachusetts Malden is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 66,263 people. History Malden, a hilly woodland area north of the Mystic River, was settled by Puritans in 1640 on la ...

– January 15, 2008 in

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. European ...

) was an American historian specializing in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, who won the 1988

Pulitzer Prize for History The Pulitzer Prize for History, administered by Columbia University, is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It has been presented since 1917 for a distinguished book about the history ...

for his book ''

The Launching of Modern American Science, 1846–1876 ''The Launching of Modern American Science, 1846–1876'' is a 1987 nonfiction book by American historian Robert V. Bruce, published by Knopf. The book is a social history chronicling a three-decade period in American science. It won the 1988 Puli ...

'' (1987). After serving in the Army 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 ...

, Bruce graduated from the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, mo ...

, where he earned his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...

. He received his

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 and his

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

, where he was later a professor. He also taught at the

University of Bridgeport The University of Bridgeport (UB) is a private university in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. In 2021, the university was purchased by Goodwin University; it retain its own n ...

Lawrence Academy at Groton Lawrence Academy at Groton is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational college preparatory boarding school located in Groton, Massachusetts, in the United States. Founded in 1792 by a group of fifty residents of Groton and Pepperell, Massachusetts ...

, and the

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 ...

. Bruce was also a lecturer at the Fortenbaugh Lecture at

Gettysburg College Gettysburg College is a private liberal arts college in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1832, the campus is adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield. Gettysburg College has about 2,600 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women. ...

Plagiarism controversy

In April 1998, Bruce accused Scottish historian James A. Mackay of plagiarizing his book ''Bell: Alexander Graham Bell and The Conquest of Solitude'', even as Mackay acknowledged Bruce on page 12 of his book. Accusations also appeared in the review of Mackay's book by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''. By Bruce's own count, 285 pages of Mackay's 297-page book ''Alexander Graham Bell: A Life'' contained plagiarisms from his book, including Mackay's acknowledging the

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and ...

and other organizations that had not heard of Mackay. Eventually,

John Wiley & Sons John Wiley & Sons, Inc., commonly known as Wiley (), is an American multinational publishing company founded in 1807 that focuses on academic publishing and instructional materials. The company produces books, journals, and encyclopedias, in p ...

took the book out of print and destroyed any remaining copies at Mackay's expense in exchange for Bruce's promise not to sue. Mackay also later apologized to Bruce. 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 ...

later found that Mackay had violated its ''Statement on Standards of Professional Conduct''.

Bibliography

Bruce wrote multiple works: *''Lincoln and the Tools of War'' (1956) *''1877: Year of Violence'' (1959) *''Two Roads to Plenty: An Analysis of American History'' (1964) *''Alexander Graham Bell and the Conquest of Solitude'' (1973) *''Alexander Graham Bell: Teacher of the Deaf'' (1974) *''Lincoln and the Riddle of Death'' (1981) *''The Launching of Modern American Science, 1846–1876'' (1987) (Pulitzer Prize for History winner) * *''The Shadow of A Coming War'' (1989) *''Lincoln, the War President: The Gettysburg Lectures'' (1992) (with

Gabor Boritt Gabor S. Boritt (born 1940 in Budapest, Hungary) is an American historian. He was the Robert Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies and Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. Born and raised in Hungary, he participated as a t ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, Robert V. 1923 births 2008 deaths Pulitzer Prize for History winners Historians of the American Civil War People from Malden, Massachusetts University of New Hampshire alumni Boston University alumni Boston University faculty University of Bridgeport faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty 20th-century American historians 20th-century American male writers Historians from Massachusetts American male non-fiction writers United States Army personnel of World War II