Robert Morse Crunden (December 23, 1940 - March 23, 1999) was an American historian. He was a professor of

American studies American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, history, society, and culture. It traditionally incorporates literary criticism, historiography and critical theory. Schol ...

and

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

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 ...

, and the author of many books.

Early life

Crunden was born on December 23, 1940 in Jersey City, New Jersey. He grew up in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Canada. He attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, where William H. Goetzmann was one of his professors, and he graduated magna cum laude in 1962. He earned a PhD in History from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1967. His dissertation director was Frank Freidel.

Career

Crunden taught History and American Studies at the

from 1967 until his death in 1999. He was the director of the American Studies program from 1985 to 1990. He was awarded a Fulbright chair as the Bicentennial Professor of American Studies at the

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...

in 1976-1977, and he was the director of the American Studies Research Center in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

, India from 1982 to 1984, also thanks to the Fulbright Program. He was awarded a Fulbright senior lectureship to teach at

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria a ...

in Australia in 1978. Crunden was the author of many books, including ''American Salons: Encounters with European Modernism, 1885-1917'', which was translated into many languages.

Personal life and death

Crunden had three daughters. He died of a heart attack on March 23, 1999 in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

Works

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References

1940 births 1999 deaths Yale University alumni Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Writers from Jersey City, New Jersey Fulbright Distinguished Chairs University of Texas at Austin faculty American expatriates in Canada American expatriates in Australia American expatriates in India American expatriates in Finland Historians from New Jersey {{US-historian-stub