Robert Franklin Durden (May 10, 1925 - March 4, 2016) was an American historian and author at who worked at Duke University. He wrote books about Duke's history, journalist

James S. Pike James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

, and historian Carter G. Woodson. He was born in

Graymont, Georgia Twin City is a city in Emanuel County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 1,642. History Twin City gets its name from the combining of two adjacent towns, Graymont and Summit. The two rival towns were mer ...

, to Virgil Edward Durden and Mildred Donaldson Durden. He studied at

Emmanuel County Institute Immanuel ( he, עִמָּנוּאֵל, 'Īmmānū'ēl, meaning, "God is with us"; also romanized: , ; and or in Koine Greek of the New Testament) is a Hebrew name that appears in the Book of Isaiah (7:14) as a sign that God will protect the H ...

and

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 h ...

.Obituary
The News & Observer March 6, 2016 He served in the U.S. Navy. He received a Ph.D from Princeton in 1952. He married Anne Oller. He retired from Duke in 2001 and was awarded the University Medal. He died in Durham, North Carolina. Duke has a collectiom of his papers. He had two daughters, two granddaughters, and six great grandchildren. His ashes were spread in the Sarah P. Duke Gardens where his wife's ashes were also placed.

Writings

*''Reconstruction bonds & twentieth-century politics : South Dakota v. North Carolina, 1904'' 1967 *''The Launching of Duke University, 1924-1949'' 1993 *''The Dukes of Durham and The Launching of Duke University'' 1987 *''Electrifying the Piedmont Carolinas: The Duke Power Company, 1904-1997'' 2001 *''Bold Entrepreneur: A Life of James B. Duke'' 2009 *''The Gray and the Black: The Confederate Debate on Emancipation'' winner of the Jules F. Landry Award *''Carter G. Woodson: Father of African-American History'' *''The Self-Inflicted Wound: Southern Politics in the 19th Century'' 1985 *''James Shepherd Pike: Republicanism and the American Negro, 1850-82'' *''The Climax of Populism; The Election of 1896'' *''Lasting Legacy to the Carolinas; The Duke Endowment 1924-1994'' 1998

References

Duke University faculty {{DEFAULTSORT:Durden, Robert Franklin 1925 births 2016 deaths Emory University alumni 20th-century American historians Princeton University alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II 21st-century American historians People from Emanuel County, Georgia American military historians Historians of the American Civil War Historians of North Carolina Historians of African Americans