Martin Ridge (May 7, 1923 - Sept. 22, 2003) was an American historian and director of research at the
Huntington Library
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927) and Arabella Huntington (c.1851–1924) in San Mar ...
.
[Susan Wladaver-Morgan.]
In Memoriam: Martin Ridge (1923-2003)
" in ''Perspectives on History,'' March 2004. He is particularly known for the 1982 5th edition of "Westward expansion: a history of the American frontier" co-authored with
Ray Allen Billington.
[ Dunaway, Wilma A. ''The first American frontier: Transition to capitalism in Southern Appalachia, 1700-1860.'' Univ of North Carolina Press, 1996.]
Biography
Born and raised in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, Ridge attended Francis W Parker School. He wanted to become an elementary school teacher, and obtained his BEd at the Chicago Teachers College, now
Chicago State University
Chicago State University (CSU) is a predominantly black public university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1867 as the Cook County Normal School, it was an innovative teachers college. Eventually the Chicago Public Schools assumed control of t ...
in 1943. After serving in the
United States Merchant Marine
United States Merchant Marines are United States civilian mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of the government and private sectors, an ...
in World War II, he continued his studies at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
, where he obtained his PhD in 1951 under
Ray Allen Billington with the thesis, ''
Ignatius Donnelly
Ignatius Loyola Donnelly (November 3, 1831 – January 1, 1901) was an American Congressman, populist writer, and fringe scientist. He is known primarily now for his fringe theories concerning Atlantis, Catastrophism (especially the idea of an ...
: The Making of a Tribune.'' In 1962 the work was revised and expanded, and was published as ''Ignatius Donnelly: Portrait of a Politician.''
After graduation in 1951 Ridge embarked upon his academic career as lecturer at
Westminster College. In 1955 he moved to
San Diego State University
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
; from 1966 to 1977 he taught at
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
, where he edited the ''Journal of American History''. In 1977 he moved to southern California when he was appointed director of research at
Huntington Library
The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927) and Arabella Huntington (c.1851–1924) in San Mar ...
, and joined the
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...
faculty. Ridge served at the Huntington Library until his retirement in 1993, and at Caltech until 1995.
Ridge was editor of the ''
Journal of American History
''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 ...
'' (JAH) from 1966 to 1978. He was awarded a
Guggenheim Fellowships
Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...
in 1965. He co-founded the
Western History Association
The Western History Association (WHA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, was founded in 1961 at Santa Fe, New Mexico by Ray Allen Billington et al. Included in the field of study are the American West and western Canada. The Western Histor ...
in 1961 and served as its president.
Selected publications
*
Ray Allen Billington, Martin Ridge. ''Western Expansion: A History of the American Frontier.'' UNM Press. 1949; 2002.
* Martin Ridge.
Ignatius Donnelly: The Portrait of a Politician'' PhD thesis revised and expanded, University of Chicago Press. 1962.
*
Annenberg School of Communications (University of Southern California). Center for Study of the American Experience, & Ridge, M. (1981). ''The New Bilingualism: An American Dilemma: Proceedings of a Conference Sponsored by Center for Study of the American Experience, the Annenberg School of Communications, University of Southern California, May 1980.'' Los Angeles, Calif.: University of Southern California Press; New Brunswick, NJ.
Articles, a selection:
* Ridge, Martin. "The Life of an Idea: The Significance of
Frederick Jackson Turner
Frederick Jackson Turner (November 14, 1861 – March 14, 1932) was an American historian during the early 20th century, based at the University of Wisconsin until 1910, and then Harvard University. He was known primarily for his frontier thes ...
's Frontier Thesis." ''
Montana: The Magazine of Western History'' (1991): 2-13.
* Ridge, Martin. "The American West: From Frontier to Region." ''
New Mexico Historical Review
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
'' 64.2 (1989).
References
External links
Martin Ridge (1923-2003) - American Historical Association Martin Ridge (1923-2003) American Historical Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ridge, Martin
1923 births
2003 deaths
20th-century American historians
American male non-fiction writers
20th-century American non-fiction writers
Chicago State University alumni
Northwestern University alumni
Westminster College (Pennsylvania) faculty
San Diego State University faculty
California Institute of Technology faculty
People from Chicago
People associated with the Huntington Library
Historians from Illinois
20th-century American male writers
United States Merchant Mariners of World War II