Orin Grant Libby (June 9, 1864, near

Hammond, Wisconsin Hammond is a village in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,922 at the 2010 census. The village is located within the Town of Hammond. Hammond was home to the Running of the Llamas. History Hammond was named in 1856 ...

– March 29, 1952, Grand Forks, North Dakota) was an American historian.

Biography

Libby was the son of farmer Asa Libby and his wife Julia (Barrows) Libby. As well as farming, his father held several local government positions, and worked in several skilled crafts. In 1886, Libby received a diploma from River Falls State Normal School, and then taught in high schools until 1890, when he entered the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

as a junior. He received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from Wisconsin in 1892, and stayed to continue his studies in history. In 1893, he submitted a master's thesis with an emphasis on economic history entitled “De Witt Clinton and the Erie Canal — A State Enterprise.” He ultimately received a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

at Wisconsin in 1895, his dissertation being entitled ''The Geographical Distribution of the Vote of the Thirteen States on the Federal Constitution 1787–8.'' His dissertation examined the economics and geography behind the voting patterns for the Constitution. An influential advisor was

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 ...

. Afterward, he continued at Wisconsin as an instructor, and as a historical researcher seeking to apply the methodology of physical and biological sciences to his studies of Congressional voting patterns. Although Libby's Ph.D. dissertation made a strong positive impression on Turner, and their relationship was initially cordial, Turner began to question his former student's abilities, and their interaction became contentious. Libby was denied an assistant professorship, and finally in 1902 he was obligated to leave Wisconsin. One factor in the decision to terminate his career at Wisconsin was his devotion to ornithological research. While at Wisconsin, in 1900 he married Eva Gertrude Cory. The marriage yielded two children. He continued his interest in ornithology for the rest of his life. He moved on to become an assistant professor at the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of N ...

(UND). There he worked on studies of the history of

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

, among which were studies of the history of Native Americans. One of the latter studies, ''The Arikara Narrative of the Campaign against the Hostile Dakotas, June 1876'' (1920), won their praise. He helped found the Mississippi Valley Historical Association (now the Organization of American Historians), and was president of it for a year. Controversy with other UND faculty and its president, Thomas F. Kane, almost resulted in his dismissal in the 1920s, but alumni pressure kept him in his position. The history department divided into a department on American history, which Libby headed, and a department of European history. After his retirement in 1945, the two departments merged into one again. Shortly before his retirement, he resigned as secretary to the state historical society and ceased editing the ''North Dakota Historical Quarterly'', two long-time endeavors.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Libby, Orin Grant 1864 births 1952 deaths People from St. Croix County, Wisconsin University of North Dakota faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin–River Falls alumni Writers from North Dakota Historians from Wisconsin