Louis Pelzer (February 4, 1879 – June 28, 1946) was a professor of history at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

and namesake of the Louis Pelzer Award, given annually by the

Organization of American Historians The Organization of American Historians (OAH), formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S. and abroad inc ...

for an essay in any period or topic in the history of the United States.

Life and career

Pelzer was born in

Griswold, Iowa Griswold is a city in Cass County, Iowa, United States. The population was 994 at the time of the 2020 census. History The town was named for J. N. A. Griswold, a railroad director. Geography Griswold is located at (41.2354, -95.1406). Accord ...

, the son of Henry and Sophia Pelzer. He was a graduate of the

Iowa State Teachers College The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa. UNI offers more than 90 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities, Arts, and Sciences, Social and Behavioral Sciences and gra ...

in 1901, and received PhB (1901) and PhD (1909) from the

. He joined the University of Iowa faculty in 1911, was appointed to Associate Professor in 1917, and full Professor in 1925. He was secretary of the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

in 1927–1929, a member of the Iowa Centennial Commission in 1938, and editor of the

Mississippi Valley Historical Review ''The Journal of American History'' is the official academic journal of the Organization of American Historians. It covers the field of American history and was established in 1914 as the ''Mississippi Valley Historical Review'', the official jo ...

from 1941 until his death. In 1917 he married Mildred Lenore Weenink in

Dillon, Montana Dillon is a city in and the county seat of Beaverhead County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,880 at the 2020 census. The city was named for Sidney Dillon (1812–1892), president of Union Pacific Railroad. History Dillon was fo ...

. They had two sons, both of whom died in service 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 ...

Publications

Among Pelzer's published works were: * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pelzer, Louis 1879 births 1946 deaths University of Iowa College of Law faculty Presidents of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association American historians American essayists

Life and career

Publications

Further reading

References