Walter T. Durham (October 7, 1924 – May 24, 2013) was an American historian. He was the Tennessee State Historian from 2002 to 2013, and the author of 24 books of

local history Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural and social aspects of history. Local history is not merely national history writ small ...

Early life

Durham was born on October 7, 1924, in

Gallatin, Tennessee Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee. The population was 30,278 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census and 44,431 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Named for United States Secretary of the Tr ...

, to George Franklin Durham and Celeste McAlister. His paternal grandfather, J. T. Durham, served as a member of the

Tennessee Senate The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any issue rega ...

. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

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 opposing ...

between 1943 and 1946. He subsequently attended the

University of Wisconsin 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 States, ...

, and he graduated from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

, where he earned bachelor of arts and master's degrees.

Career

Durham worked as a businessman in Gallatin. He was the founding president of the Tennessee Heritage Alliance, later known as the Tennessee Preservation Trust. He also served as the president of the

Tennessee Historical Society The Tennessee Historical Society is a historical society for the U.S. state of Tennessee. It was established in 1849. Its founding president from 1849 to 1856 was Nathaniel Cross, a Princeton-educated professor of Ancient Languages at the Universi ...

, and as the chairman of the

Tennessee Historical Commission The Tennessee Historical Commission (THC) is the State Historic Preservation Office for the U.S. state of Tennessee. Headquartered in Nashville, it is an independent state agency, administratively attached to the Department of Environment and Co ...

. In 2002, he was appointed as the Tennessee State Historian by Governor

Don Sundquist Donald Kenneth Sundquist (born March 15, 1936) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 47th Governor of Tennessee from 1995 to 2003. Prior to his governorship, he represented Tennessee's 7th congressional district in the Uni ...

. Durham was the author of 24 books of

. He wrote about the Antebellum era like Congressman

Balie Peyton Balie Peyton (November 26, 1803 – August 18, 1878) was an American lawyer and politician who represented Tennessee's 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. Biography Peyton was born near Gallatin, Tennessee ...

or the Rose Mont plantation; the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

of 1861–1865 in Tennessee; and the post-bellum era like the forty-niners from Tennessee who took part in the California Gold Rush.

Personal life, death and legacy

Durham married Anna Armstrong Coile, and they had four children. They resided in Gallatin. Durham died on May 24, 2013, at 88. His funeral was held at the First Methodist Church of Gallatin. He was succeeded as the Tennessee State Historian by

Carroll Van West Carroll Van West is an American historian. He is the Tennessee State Historian and a professor of history at Middle Tennessee State University. He is the author or editor of several books about Montana and Tennessee. Early life Carroll Van West w ...

. Durham is the namesake of the Tennessee Historical Society's Walter Durham Award, given annually to scholars. The Walter T. Durham Bridge was named in his honor in 2015.

References

Selected works

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External links

Walter T. Durham
on C-SPAN 1924 births 2013 deaths People from Gallatin, Tennessee United States Army personnel of World War II Military personnel from Tennessee University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Vanderbilt University alumni 21st-century American historians Local historians {{US-historian-stub