Wilbur Kitchener Jordan (also known as W. K. Jordan), (1902-1980) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

historian, specializing in sixteenth and seventeenth century

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. Raised in

Lynnville, Indiana Lynnville is a town in Hart Township, Warrick County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 888 at the 2010 census. History Lynnville was platted in 1839. The town was named for its founder, John Lynn, who also established the first s ...

, Jordan received a bachelor's degree from Oakland City College in 1923, before earning a master's (1926) and doctoral (1931) degree 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 highe ...

. Jordan went on to become a leading historian of sixteenth and seventeenth century England, accruing many honors, and producing books, including ''Men of Substance: Revolutionary Thinkers of 1640'' (1942), ''Philanthropy in England, 1480-1660'' (1959), and a two-volume study of the reign of ''Edward VI'' (1968, 1970). Jordan's most enduring scholarly work, however, has been his four-volume ''The Development of Religious Toleration in England'', published from 1932 to 1940, in which Jordan documented the origins of religious

toleration Toleration is the allowing, permitting, or acceptance of an action, idea, object, or person which one dislikes or disagrees with. Political scientist Andrew R. Murphy explains that "We can improve our understanding by defining "toleration" as ...

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personific ...

, Stuart, and revolutionary England and the evolution of these ideas into the late seventeenth century, following the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...

. Though sometimes criticized for attributing too great an importance to skeptical and secular motives for toleration, this capacious and well-sourced work continues to provide the foundation for contemporary studies of the history of religious toleration in England. In 1943, Kitchener declined the presidency of the prestigious

Scripps College Scripps College is a private liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California. It was founded as a member of the Claremont Colleges in 1926, a year after the consortium's formation. Journalist and philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps p ...

, and chose instead to become the fourth President of

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and h ...

(1943-1960). As President of Radcliffe College from 1943 to 1960, Jordan presided over a period of dramatic change at this prestigious women's college, promoting greater integration with nearby Harvard University and the adoption of a liberal arts curriculum, and becoming an early advocate of providing education for women essentially identical to that traditionally provided for men. Jordan's students, including

Natalie Zemon Davis Natalie Zemon Davis, (born November 8, 1928) is a Canadian and American historian of the early modern period. She is currently an Adjunct Professor of History and Anthropology and Professor of Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto in C ...

, benefited from this teaching philosophy.

References

Harvard University Library
Retrieved 1 February 2012

External links

Papers of Wilbur Kitchener Jordan, 1943-1965.Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Wilbur Kitchener 1902 births 1980 deaths Presidents of Radcliffe College Harvard University alumni Oakland City University alumni 20th-century American Episcopalians Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy