Dumas Malone (January 10, 1892 – December 27, 1986) was an American historian, biographer, and editor noted for his six-volume biography on

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

, '' Jefferson and His Time'', for which he received the 1975

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

for history and his co-editorship of the twenty-volume

Dictionary of American Biography The ''Dictionary of American Biography'' was published in New York City by Charles Scribner's Sons under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). History The dictionary was first proposed to the Council in 1920 by hi ...

. In 1983, he was awarded the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...

Early life and education

Malone was born at Coldwater,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, on January 10, 1892, the son of clergyman John W. and suffragist schoolteacher, Lillian Kemp Malone. In 1910, he received his bachelor's degree from Emory College (

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 ...

). He was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity. In 1916 he received his divinity degree from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

. Between 1917 and 1919 during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he became a second lieutenant in the

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

. Following the war, he returned to Yale University where he obtained his Master's (1921) and doctorate (1923) degrees. He won the

John Addison Porter John Addison Porter (March 15, 1822 – August 25, 1866) was an American professor of chemistry and physician. He is the namesake of the John Addison Porter Prize and was a founder of the Scroll and Key senior society of Yale University. Acade ...

prize in 1923 for his dissertation, ''The Public Life of Thomas Cooper 1783–1839 ''(New Haven: Yale University Press, 1926). The linguist and historian Kemp Malone is his older brother. He married Elizabeth Gifford in 1925, and they had two children.

Career

Malone served on the faculty of

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

, where he was the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History. He was a Director of the

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...

and served as editor of the original ''Dictionary of American Biography in'' 1929''.'' His first contribution to historical scholarship was a still authoritative biography of the American political commentator and educator Thomas Cooper (Yale University Press, 1926). He is best known for his six-volume biography of

, published between 1948 and 1981, for which he earned the 1975

. Among the many contributions of this authoritative study was Malone's inclusion in each volume of a detailed timeline of Jefferson's activities and frequent travels in his life. Malone's volumes were widely praised for their lucid and graceful writing style, for their rigorous and thorough scholarship, and for their attention to Jefferson's evolving constitutional and political thought. The six volumes, originally published by Atlantic/Little, Brown, and republished by the University of Virginia Press in 2005, were: * ''Jefferson the Virginian'' (1948) * ''Jefferson and the Rights of Man'' (1951) * ''Jefferson and the Ordeal of Liberty'' (1962) * ''Jefferson the President: First Term, 1801–1805'' (1970) * ''Jefferson the President: Second Term, 1805–1809'' (1974) * ''The Sage of Monticello'' (1981). Malone also published a set of lectures, ''Thomas Jefferson as Political Leader,'' (1963) with the University of California Press. His eyesight deteriorated markedly as he became older, making it necessary to use various technologies such as voice recorders and a Visualtek to enlarge texts while writing his last two Jefferson books. Grave of Dumas Malone

Legacy and honors

*1983 – President Ronald Reagan awarded Malone the

.Remarks at the Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Medal of Freedom
1983-02-23, retrieved 2009-07-30 Malone died on December 27, 1986, at

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

. He is buried at the University of Virginia Cemetery and Columbarium in Charlottesville.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Malone, Dumas 20th-century American biographers 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers Historians of the United States Pulitzer Prize for History winners Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Emory University alumni Yale Divinity School alumni United States Marine Corps officers United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I Historians from Mississippi People from Coldwater, Mississippi 1892 births 1986 deaths Burials at the University of Virginia Cemetery 20th-century American male writers

Early life and education

Career

Legacy and honors

References

Further reading

External links