Walter T. Durham (October 7, 1924 – May 24, 2013) was an American historian. He was the Tennessee State Historian from 2002 to 2013, and the author of 24 books of

local history Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural and social aspects of history. Local history is not merely national history writ small bu ...

Early life

Durham was born on October 7, 1924, in

Gallatin, Tennessee Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee. The population was 30,278 at the 2010 census and 44,431 at the 2020 census. Named for United States Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin, the city was established on ...

, to George Franklin Durham and Celeste McAlister. His paternal grandfather, J. T. Durham, served as a member of the Tennessee Senate. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

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 ...

between 1943 and 1946. He subsequently attended 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 ...

, and he graduated from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

, where he earned bachelor of arts and master's degrees.

Career

Durham worked as a businessman in Gallatin. He was the founding president of the Tennessee Heritage Alliance, later known as the Tennessee Preservation Trust. He also served as the president of the Tennessee Historical Society, and as the chairman of the

Tennessee Historical Commission The Tennessee Historical Commission (THC) is the State Historic Preservation Office for the U.S. state of Tennessee. Headquartered in Nashville, it is an independent state agency, administratively attached to the Department of Environment and Con ...

. In 2002, he was appointed as the Tennessee State Historian by Governor

Don Sundquist Donald Kenneth Sundquist (born March 15, 1936) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 47th Governor of Tennessee from 1995 to 2003. Prior to his governorship, he represented Tennessee's 7th congressional district in the Unit ...

. Durham was the author of 24 books of

. He wrote about the Antebellum era like Congressman Balie Peyton or the

Rose Mont Rose Mont is a Greek Revival style house built in Gallatin, Sumner County, Tennessee, United States. It was built by Judge Josephus Conn Guild for his family, and completed in 1842. Once the site of the area's largest thoroughbred horse farm ...

plantation; 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 ...

of 1861–1865 in Tennessee; and the post-bellum era like the forty-niners from Tennessee who took part in the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

Personal life, death and legacy

Durham married Anna Armstrong Coile, and they had four children. They resided in Gallatin. Durham died on May 24, 2013, at 88. His funeral was held at the First Methodist Church of Gallatin. He was succeeded as the Tennessee State Historian by

Carroll Van West Carroll Van West is an American historian. He is the Tennessee State Historian and a professor of history at Middle Tennessee State University. He is the author or editor of several books about Montana and Tennessee. Early life Carroll Van West w ...

. Durham is the namesake of the Tennessee Historical Society's Walter Durham Award, given annually to scholars. The Walter T. Durham Bridge was named in his honor in 2015.

References

Selected works

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External links

Walter T. Durham
on

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...

1924 births 2013 deaths People from Gallatin, Tennessee United States Army personnel of World War II Military personnel from Tennessee University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Vanderbilt University alumni 21st-century American historians Local historians {{US-historian-stub